Alaina
by juliaaaa15
Summary: When Link and Zelda are killed battling Ganondorf, their daughter Alaina is forced to flee Hyrule. Five years later, it is time for her to return to her homeland and take back what was lost. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Alaina**

Hey guys! This is my first fan fiction so don't be cruel! I don't own Zelda in any way but I do own Alaina, Aiden, and Joes, and other characters that appear, I will mention later.

Chapter 1

"You'll miss it."

"No I won't."

"Yeah you will! Your aim isn't even close to the target!"

"It'll be closer to your head if you don't shut up, Aiden!"

"Okay, okay, sorry Alaina."

Thirteen-year-old Princess Alaina of Hyrule giggled at the scowl on Aiden's face. "Just shush now," she warned. She focused her attention back to the target that was across the Hyrule Castle courtyard. She carefully placed her hands on her bow, getting ready to let her arrow fly. Her brow furrowed with concentration, her eyes squinting to find the perfect point on the target. She aimed the arrow at the same place she had it before, just right of the target, hearing Aiden make a "tchhh" sound behind her. Daring to prove him wrong, she let go. The arrow seemed to go in the direction she aimed, but at the last minute it slowly moved toward the left and hit the target.

Aiden stood there, dumbfounded, his jaw hanging down. Alaina waited patiently as he finally shook his head and slowly walked over to the target as if he was in a trance. "Bull's eye," he sputtered, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head.

Alaina smirked, a trait inherited from her mother. "Told you so," she said airily.

Aiden stomped over to her, glaring. "How did you do that?" he demanded.

Alaina giggled again. The look on his face was too priceless. "You have to love having a family of archers," she bragged.

Aiden slowly smiled, but it was an evil smile, something Alaina knew all too well. "Too bad they never showed you the reflexes to protect you from THIS!" He suddenly charged at her and tackled her, bringing them both down to the soft ground. They went rolling around the courtyard, laughing so loud Alaina was surprised no one was coming to see what the racket was. She finally pinned Aiden and collapsed on top of him, exhausted from laughing so hard.

"I prove you wrong two times today," Alaina said, grinning. She stared down at the face of her best friend, who she had known all her life. His father was one of Hyrule's best knights and a friend of Alaina's parents, and his mother had died from disease a long time ago, and she was once a wealthy citizen of Hyrule. Alaina had always adored Aiden's wavy brown hair with the gold streaks, and loved his blue-green eyes even more, always full of love, kindness, and mischief. At almost fourteen, his voice had already deepened and he always had a smile on his face. Alaina had always felt so lucky that he was her friend.

"If your dad knew about this," Aiden scolded her playfully. "He would kick me out of his fighting school. You better not tell him."

"Tell me what?"

Aiden and Alaina whirled around, facing a man in his early 30s, who was raising his eyebrow at them and crossing his arms. Aiden and Alaina blushed as they saw the position they were in and Alaina quickly rolled off him.

"Oh, nothing, Dad," Alaina said casually. "I just kicked Aiden's butt in archery. Again."

"Alaina!" Aiden whined.

Link laughed. "You know Aiden, I can give you the best training in Hyrule, but Alaina can still beat you everytime," he gloated, looking proud of his only daughter.

"Stop, Dad!" Alaina laughed.

Link smiled, Alaina's behavior reminding him of his and Zelda's when they were her age. Link still looked young at 32, with the same, messy blond hair, kind but yet fierce ice blue eyes, and a frame that any man his age wished they still had. Link hadn't fought in a battle since he was seventeen, but always worked out in the castle gymnasium and had his fighting school. He was wearing a loose white shirt and brown pants, which he usually wore when he wasn't dealing with ruling affairs of the sort.

A woman had stepped out at this time. She was Queen Zelda of Hyrule, Alaina's mother. Like Link, she still looked young for her age, and still inherited her long blonde locks, her piercing navy blue eyes, and slender frame. Like Link, she was dressed casually, wearing a plain blue dress that brought out the color of her eyes. Alaina was the pride and joy of her and Link. She was like a miniature version of Zelda with her long blonde hair and petite frame, but had her father's facial features, including the icy blue color of her eyes, and inherited his fighting skills. Link had already taught her complex sword fighting and how to handle his numerous weapons, and Zelda taught her archery and magic; Alaina was highly skilled in all of these, and her parents couldn't have been more proud of their strong, kind-hearted daughter.

"What did I miss?" Zelda asked, studying her daughter and best friend with keen interest.

"Apparently, Alaina won a game of archery," Link mused, scratching his chin.

Aiden groaned playfully. "What, is this going to be in the Castle Town Times tomorrow?" he asked jokingly.

Zelda laughed. "Don't take it so hard, Aiden. I always beat your dad and Link in archery when we were young."

"She's right," Link agreed, remembering the memory. Link and Aiden's father, Jonas, were both training to be knights when they were teenagers and would always be humiliated when Zelda would beat them in an archery contest, often resulting them to pay her rupees, Link remembered with disdain. Actually, when he thought about it, he still owed Zelda about a hundred, but she didn't need to know that...

"Anyway, Aiden, your father wants you home now. He told you to meet him out at the gate. Impa will escort you there," Zelda said.

"All right," Aiden replied. He turned to Alaina. "I'll be here tomorrow, and you better be ready to be beaten!"

"You wish," Alaina said, smacking him. Aiden grinned and said good-bye to her, Link, and Zelda and left the courtyard.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Zelda said, "You know Alaina, you two look pretty cute together."

"Mooooooom!" Alaina groaned as her parents started laughing. "We're just friends. You know that!"

"That's what I said to my father about Link," Zelda answered with a sly smile on her face. At this, Link started laughing even harder.

"Very funny," was all Alaina could say to that, but inside, she couldn't help but feel happy that her parents actually thought she and Aiden could actually become an item. She always harbored a tiny crush on him, but their friendship was too strong for her to develop any real feelings, or so she tried to think. Still, it didn't hurt thinking about marriage with her best friend.

"All right, Alaina," Zelda said. "The cook just told me that dinner's ready, and after that Impa and I will teach you some magic. Go up to your room and get out of that old tunic."

"Fine," Alaina relented, and went inside and upstairs into one of the towers. Link and Zelda looked after her, smiling.

"She reminds me so much of you," Link told Zelda.

"No, I think she's more like you," Zelda disagreed. "At least I made my feelings for you obvious."

Link pondered what Zelda just said. "Do you really think Alaina and Aiden might end up together?" he asked.

"Of course!" Zelda said. "Don't you ever see the way he looks at her? And she talks about him constantly. They're both growing up. It's normal." She noticed a faint look of despair on Link's face. "What's wrong?"

"The fact that she's growing up," Link answered truthfully. "It makes me feel old."

He half-expected Zelda to feel at least some pity for him, given that she was the same age, but before he knew it, she had tackled him to the ground, howling with laughter. "I think you're right, Link. A decade ago, I would've never been able to attack you like this!"

Link had no choice but to laugh, and right in the middle of the courtyard, he pulled Zelda in for a deep kiss, making them look like two crazy teenagers. Alaina watched this all from the window in her room with amusement.

"I don't understand them sometimes, Impa," she said to a Sheikah woman with white hair with blue streaks and ice blue eyes who was standing near the doorway. Impa was Zelda's former caretaker and surrogate mother since Zelda's mother died when Zelda was a baby, and as Zelda grew older and after her father died, Impa was there for guidance. She was also the sage of the Shadow Temple, but because there wasn't any threat of evil since Link and Zelda defeated Ganondorf when they were seventeen, there was no need for Impa, or any Sage, to be in their respected temples. When Alaina was born, she happily took over the role as a caretaker once again, and now was one of her trusted confidants.

"It's love, Alaina," Impa said simply, watching with amusement as the young teenager took on a faint look of disgust.

"It's alright if they were about eighteen, but they're parents in their 30s, and not only that, they're rulers of a kingdom!" Alaina said. "Goddesses, I hope I never act like that when I'm their age."

"You never know," Impa replied, smirking. "I can see you and Aiden now…"

"Impa!" Alaina whined. "Not you too!"

"Don't deny it!" Impa retorted teasingly. "You're blushing as red as the Goron's Ruby!"

Alaina gave up and searched through her dresser for an outfit to wear for dinner. "No one important is coming over," she added, making Alaina sigh with relief and limited her search for more simpler dresses. Her fancy ones were saved for celebrations, important meetings, and such.

Alaina finally pulled out a short-sleeved, off-the-shoulder white dress and slipped it on, throwing her tunic and leggings in a corner somewhere. She washed her face, added a little makeup, and took her hair out of its ponytail and combed out her long blonde locks. Impa waited patiently as Alaina took out a locket and fumbled with it as she tried putting it on.

"Here, let me help," Impa finally spoke up. Alaina obediently held up her hair as Impa clasped the gold locket together.

"Thanks Impa, " Alaina said gratefully. She looked down at her memento and held it up. She had gotten it when she turned thirteen half a year ago. One side showed a picture of her parents, then nineteen, with herself as an infant. The other side showed her parents and herself today. She treasured it greatly and wore it every chance she got.

"Come on now, child," Impa said. "Your mother and father are probably wondering if you gotten abducted by Moblins by now."

Alaina followed Impa down from the tower and into the halls. "But Impa. Moblins haven't appeared since the Dark Lord had been defeated," she commented teasingly.

Impa laughed. "True, but you know how cautious your parents are," she said wisely. "They had a lot to handle during that time."

"I know," Alaina sighed, knowing fully well of the story of when her parents sealed Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm when they were just seventeen.

They finally reached the large dining room, where Link and Zelda were waiting patiently, with Link at the head of the table and Zelda to the right of him. A large plate of roasted Cuccoos was sitting neatly at the table. Smaller dishes of various fruits and vegetables surrounded the Cuccoos. There was a pitcher of wine for Link and Zelda, and a bottle of Lon Lon Milk for Alaina. Link had often argued with Zelda that Alaina was responsible enough to drink wine, but Zelda always disagreed, and therefore always won the argument.

Alaina took her place at the table at the left of Link, and Impa left to stand at her post by the door, as she usually did. A few seconds after the great door had shut, it had burst open again. Impa walked back in, this time followed by Aiden and his father, Joes, who was in his knight's uniform.

"Why hello, Joes, Aiden," Zelda greeted them warmly, not minding that they were disrupted from starting their meal. "What brings you here so suddenly?"

"My apologies, Zelda," Joes apologized, bowing slightly, Aiden doing the same, but looking at Alaina. "I just got some news from the kingdom of Hilia They're willing for their soldiers to travel here to train with ours. In simpler terms, they have agreed to become permanent allies."

"That's great!" Link exclaimed. This was a big deal for the family, because Hilia was a powerful kingdom, and had a powerful army. The two kingdoms had always gotten along, but Hilia was always a peaceful country and didn't believe in war. Ever since the heir to the throne had just been crowned a few years ago, he believed that Hilia should have an army just in case. Apparently, the kingdom was prepared enough to be an ally.

"Joes, thank you. This is wonderful news!" Zelda said. She motioned to two of the many empty seats of the large table. "Would you and Aiden like to join us for the rest of tonight?"

"Well…" Joes looked a bit embarrassed. "I'm not really properly dressed to eat a meal."

"No problem," Zelda reassured him. "Go up to our room and wear something of Link's. One of the servants can take your armor." Link, Zelda, and Joes had been friends for so long, Joes was always allowed to enter their room without a problem.

"Thank you," Joes said, and left the room.

Aiden, who was properly dressed, took a seat next to Alaina. They all waited for Joes to return, which was only a minute later, and they sat down to their meal.

Unfortunately for Aiden and Alaina, good news and getting together for a little "family gathering" did not mix well with their parents. Despite their high status, Link, Zelda (yes, Zelda), and Joes always managed to have too much to drink, which could either be amusing or embarrassing. There was one year where Link and Joes had fantastic duels of, you guessed it, darts, arm wrestling, and even rock, paper, scissors and thumb wrestling. There was another time where Link, Joes, and Zelda paraded around the castle halls singing old songs, with the staff of the castle listening in with amusement and even joining in. Then there was one time when all the adults did was lie on the floor, laughing like maniacs, eventually falling asleep. Aiden and Alaina usually took great joy in blackmailing their parents with that information.

They ate the food first, with the adults talking about politics and Alaina and Aiden exchanging knowing looks. Then came the wine and dessert- Lon Lon ice cream (the ranch's new specialty) and different candies. It didn't take long before Link, Zelda, and Joes were soon talking loudly than usual, and a few minutes after that, began giggling helplessly and telling tales of the old days, while the teens looked on with utter embarrassment, some of the stories R-rated.

"There was this one time," Joes slurred. "Where Linky boy and I were about 15, and we decided to go into the rough part of Castle Town."

"Oh Goddesses," Aiden murmured, his face turning pale. "I already heard this story."

"I didn't!" Alaina answered, genuinely curious, and leaned in to hear more.

"So we're in this reeeaaalllly dark alley, and we hear cheering coming from this place. So we open the door," Joes laughed and threw his arm around Link, "and we walk into a strip club!"

Alaina turned pale. Aiden whispered, "I told you so."

"Heeyyyyy," Zelda said. "How come I didn't know about this?"

For the first time, Alaina thanked the Goddesses her mother was so drunk that she wouldn't remember this night.

"Um, Alaina," Aiden hissed. "Can we get out of here? Please?"

"I thought you would never ask," Alaina said. They quietly left the dining room and dashed through the halls and up a tower, where they could faintly hear Link yell, "How about a dance contest?" and was answered with cheers.

They walked into Alaina's room, which was far from the dining room and therefore they couldn't hear a thing. Alaina closed her door just to be safe. Her room had a fluffy dark blue rug, and her walls and ceiling were a sky blue color, with the ceiling having white clouds, and a chandelier hanging from it. One part of the wall had a giant, detailed map of Hyrule, and there were several scrolls containing the history and magic spells on another part. Her humungous bed was tucked in a corner, containing comfortable blue and white pillows and a dark blue comforter. Her dresser was next to the bed, containing her simpler clothes, while her giant closet had the fancy outfits. Several small couches were also placed around the room.

"I think this might've been the worst yet," Aiden commented, referring to their parents' outrageous behavior.

"Oh well," Alaina sighed, plopping down on her bed.. "All three of them have so much stress, I would probably be worried if they haven't acted like this." She fell back and laid across, her hair fanning all over the place.

Aiden fell back next to her, staring at the painted yet realistic-looking clouds on the ceiling. "It looks like I'm staying here for the night again," he said.

"Yeah," Alaina agreed. "I doubt that Impa will let you stay in my room anymore though. She might think something's up, you know, since we're older."

Aiden laughed, his rich, deep voice filling the large room. "Yeah, it was cute sleeping in the same bed when we were around eight. But now…" He smirked.

Alaina picked up one of her pillows and smacked Aiden with it. "You're sick," she said, but she was giggling. "You'll have to get the guest room then."

"All right," Aiden agreed.

They both fell silent, still studying the ceiling, both feeling very tired. Finally, Aiden spoke. "Hey Alaina," he said softly. "I don't have knight training tomorrow. Maybe we can go to Lake Hylia and go swimming or something."

Alaina was almost asleep, so Aiden didn't expect an answer. But she had ended up hearing his suggestion. "Okay," she agreed tiredly, starting to fall into a deep sleep.

Aiden smiled faintly, reached out his hand, and, ever so lightly, rested it on top of Alaina's.

"Great," he whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

-1**Alaina**

Second chapter! I don't own Zelda, but I own Alaina, Aiden, Joes, Lila, Lionel, and Eira. Remember, you don't like it, don't read it!

Chapter 2

When Alaina awoke, she was asleep in her bed, wearing a nightgown, with Aiden nowhere to be found. He must've gotten Impa once she had fallen asleep and then he moved to one of the guest rooms.

She checked her clock that was hanging on the wall across from her. It was 9:00 in the morning. She yawned, stretching her arms. A maid had already set up a bath for her in her bathroom, so she immediately washed her hair and scrubbed her body with soap. When she was dry, she dressed in a simple short-sleeved black tunic and matching leggings.

She wandered down the halls, finding her parents and Joes in the parlor, fully awake and drinking glasses of cold water, a sign that they were no longer drunk, or at least trying to be no longer drunk. When she went into the kitchen, she found Aiden with the cook, Eira, who was serving him eggs and bacon. She handed a plate to Alaina as well.

"Thank you Eira," Alaina said to the kind cook, who responded with a smile. She and Aiden went out into the courtyard and sat on a swing, for the grass was still covered with dew. The birds were chirping and the sun had not yet risen high enough to blind a person. The temperature was moderate; not cold at all but not yet hot. It was a perfect morning.

They ate their breakfast in silence, which was usual. When Aiden was finished gulping his eggs down, he turned to look at Alaina. "So are you still up for going to Lake Hylia?"

Alaina nodded eagerly. "Of course!"

"Okay, I was just making sure you weren't half-asleep or anything when I asked you last night," Aiden said.

"I wasn't," Alaina replied, turning away. She felt her insides squirm, in a good way, when she thought about that moment. If she wasn't dreaming, and she was sure she wasn't, she could've sworn that Aiden had held her hand. Okay, he only touched it, but she still felt giddy after he had left the room. _Maybe I am starting to like him. Maybe he even likes me too…_

"Hey Alaina?"

"Yes?" Alaina turned around quickly, her hair whipping Aiden's face. _Yes, he might ask me!_

Aiden ignored that. "Umm…I was wondering…"

"Yeah?" _Ooh, I might've answered that a little too quickly._

"…Do you want to go to Lake Hylia now?"

Although she didn't show it, Alaina was disappointed. "Sure," she said, the slightest sliver of hurt in her voice. "Meet me at the stables in ten minutes. I have to go get ready."

Aiden nodded to show that was okay, and he dashed off.

Alaina went back to her room to collect several belongings, placed them in a sack, and then went to the kitchens again.

"Eira?" she asked. "I'm going on a picnic, so I was wondering if you could whip up some stuff?"

Eira smiled. "Is it for you and Aiden?" she asked.

"Ye-wait, how did you know?" Alaina wondered.

"He is your best friend and you're always with him," Eira wisely pointed out. "Plus, you're skipping around the castle, and I noticed that only Aiden can make you do that."

Alaina blushed for what might've been the thousandth time for the past few days. "Goddesses, why does everybody think that Aiden and I could be a couple?"

"I never said that!" Eira said, holding up her hands in defense. "But now when you think about it…" She laughed when Alaina sighed. "All right, all right, I'm sorry. Wait here. I'll get everything ready."

Within minutes, Alaina was handed another sack of fresh fish, vegetables, roasted Deku nuts, and bottles of Lon Lon Milk. She found an old picnic blanket and stuffed that in.

"Thank you, Eira!" Alaina called out as she bounded out of the room.

Eira shook her head with a sad smile. "Such a sweet girl," she said to herself. "If only she knew that Aiden felt the same way…"

Alaina dashed into the stables, where Aiden was already waiting. She had told Impa to tell their parents where they'd be, and they'd be back before sunset. Aiden was on his horse Karl, and Alaina found her horse Reya. Reya was the filly of Epona, Link's old horse, who had since died around two years ago. The death devastated Link and his friend Malon, the daughter of Talon, the owner of Lon Lon Ranch, who had raised the mare. Reya did look like Epona, with the chestnut coat and the white mane and tail.

"I have some things for today," Alaina told Aiden as she mounted Reya. "But first can we go to Lon Lon Ranch? I want to say hi to Malon, and she would like to see Reya too."

"That's fine," Aiden answered. His father was close to Malon, and therefore he was as well.

One of Link and Zelda's wonderful ideas was to make a path at the back of the castle leading to Hyrule Field. This way, the royal family could ride out of the castle without attracting attention. Alaina and Aiden rode their horses through the path and before long, they were riding in Hyrule Field. In the distance Alaina could see Lon Lon Ranch, which was an hour's ride.

They reached the ranch at around 11:00, and as they expected, Malon was out feeding the horses. Her ten-year-old daughter Lila was out with her, and her husband Lionel, the son of Talon's friend, was probably in the stables, milking the cows. Lila was close to Alaina and Aiden. She had inherited her mother's gorgeous red hair but had her father's light brown eyes, which shone in the sunlight.

"Mom!" she called out. "Alaina and Aiden are here!"

Malon turned from her work, wiping her forehead from sweat. She smiled when she saw Alaina and Aiden approaching. Malon was the same age as Link and Zelda, and like them, still looked young for her age. Her red hair was short and her bright blue eyes always shone. She was also Alaina's godmother, and besides Impa and Zelda, was one of Alaina's closest confidants.

"Hey you two!" she greeted them. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Alaina said. "We were headed to Lake Hylia and we just wanted to say hi."

Reya neighed happily when Malon approached her. Like Epona, Reya was also raised by Malon. "Hey, girl," Malon softly said to Reya, patting her snout.

Lila wandered up to the group. "Hi Alaina!" she chirped. She turned to Aiden and seemed a bit shyer. "Hi Aiden."

"Hey squirt," Aiden replied.

Alaina nearly laughed out loud. Poor Lila was suffering that age where she had a childhood crush, and that crush just happened to be Aiden. As if he read her thoughts, Aiden turned to look at her and grinned. Alaina smiled to herself. Lila was only ten, so she didn't feel threatened at the moment.

"How long are you staying?" Lila wondered.

"Not long," Alaina answered regretfully. "We're just stopping by."

"Oh." Lila looked down, taking a sudden interest with her toes.

Aiden hopped off his horse and knelt down to her level. "Tell you what," he said. "Next time we can, we'll spend all day with you. Okay?"

Lila's face brightened up. "Okay," she said with happiness. Aiden smiled and patted her back while Malon and Alaina looked on.

"Well all right then," Malon said. "You two should go now. Have fun!"

"Thanks Malon. Bye!" Alaina said, starting to ride away.

"Bye Alaina! Bye Aiden!" Lila shouted out.

"Bye Lila!" they shouted back to her, riding out of the ranch.

Lake Hylia was another two hours ride away. Luckily, the weather was perfect for a nice ride, so nobody was complaining. The sun shone down on them as they rode through the grassy fields. Alaina's long hair was flowing behind her and her face was radiated by the light. She turned her head to glance at Aiden. He was already looking at her but quickly looked away. The gold streaks in his brown hair were more noticeable than ever and his eyes reminded her of the lake that they were quickly heading toward. His tunic showed his muscles nicely, and Alaina couldn't help but stare at them. When he turned toward her again, she was the one that quickly looked away.

During the way, she was fighting an inner battle in her head. One side wanted her to tell Aiden that she, in fact, did have feelings for him, but the other side told her to shut her mouth or else she would get attacked by monsters overnight.

_I do like him. I really do. For some reason, I think he might like me too. I think I should tell him._

**Yeah, but what if you do? He might laugh at you. Boys do mature later than girls.**

_Aiden's not like that though. He's very mature, and that's one of the things I like about him._

**Even if he doesn't laugh, it might ruin your friendship. It'll become too awkward.**

_It already seems a little awkward right now…_

Alaina ended up becoming so focused with her inner conflict, she didn't even notice that they had reached Lake Hylia an hour after noon.

"Earth to Alaina! Helloooooo!" Aiden called out, waving his hand over Alaina's face.

Alaina snapped back to attention. "Wha-what?" She saw Aiden looking at her with confusion. "Oh, sorry. Just had a moment."

Aiden shook his head and motioned to a section where two scarecrows were. "Should we put everything over there?"

They walked the horses over to the section and tied them to the scarecrows, and laid out their belongings on the ground. "Swimming first, or food?" Aiden asked.

Alaina rubbed her stomach, which was still full despite the long journey. She and Aiden looked at each other. "Swimming," they said at the same time.

Alaina quickly jumped into the lake, squealing when she hit the chilly, calm waters. Aiden ripped off his tunic and leggings, revealing a pair of trunks. With a wild yell, he did a cannonball into the water, creating a huge wave, completely swallowing Alaina.

Aiden emerged from underwater, laughing and spitting up water. When he didn't hear anything, he frantically searched around. "Alaina? Alaina, where are you?"

"BOO!"

"AHHHHHHH!" Aiden screamed like a little girl before getting dunked into the water. Alaina started cracking up. Thanks to the giant wave, Alaina was already soaked, but at least she was used to the water by now. She let her grip go on Aiden and he emerged, coughing.

"Are you okay?" Alaina asked, concerned. Aiden just glared at her. "Aiden, I'm sorry!"

All of a sudden, Aiden grinned and picked her up, throwing both of them into the water. When Alaina opened her eyes under the clear water, she saw Aiden waving to her and making faces, causing Alaina to laugh and forcing her to swim back to the surface for air. A few seconds later, Aiden emerged.

"I guess we're even now," Aiden grinned, gallantly sweeping Alaina in his arms, pretending to be some kind of big hero. Alaina giggled. Somehow, everything Aiden did made her laugh.

Aiden noticed her giggling. "What's so funny?" he questioned, staring intently into her ice blue eyes.

"You," Alaina answered truthfully.

"Me?" Aiden said in a girly voice, pretending to be modest. Alaina tried not to laugh for the hundredth time, but she couldn't help it. Aiden smiled. He loved hearing her laugh.

About an hour later, they stopped swimming and went back over to wear they had brought their horses. Alaina laid out the picnic blanket and set out the food. As they started to eat, they were dried instantly by the hot sun. They ate in silence, enjoying their quiet surroundings and the good food. When Alaina was finished, she stared ahead at the calm waters of the vast lake. Aiden followed her gaze.

"What are you staring at?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing," Alaina replied, still staring ahead. "It's just so peaceful here. I always love coming here, and I thank the Goddesses that Hyrule has always enjoyed peace and prosperity."

Aiden nodded in agreement. "Lake Hylia is one of the most peaceful places in Hyrule. I'm surprised no one else is usually here."

They stopped talking and looked around at their surroundings. Then, they heard a noise. It sounded like a BOOM! Aiden and Alaina looked at each other worriedly, then searched the skies. They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw dark storm clouds heading in from Hyrule Field.

"For a second I thought it was…" Alaina started.

"…Danger," Aiden finished. He looked at the clouds. "There might be a storm in the fields, but if we leave now, we'll probably miss most of it." He and Alaina packed their belongings and got on their horses. The horses galloped out of Lake Hylia and into Hyrule Field.

"Hold on," Aiden said. He motioned for Alaina to stop her horse and he pointed to the sky. "Those clouds aren't normal." He was right. They were dark gray like normal storm clouds, but also had a greenish-reddish tinge, and they seemed to whirl around, almost like a hurricane.

Alaina turned pale. She remembered her mother telling her about when Ganondorf had found the Triforce of Power and took over Hyrule. The clouds were the same color. "Aiden, we have to get out of here NOW!"

"We can't go back to the lake," Aiden argued. "The clouds are heading over this way!"

Alaina glanced at the castle. "Then we better pray that we make it back to the castle in time," she said grimly.

Meanwhile, back at Hyrule Castle, Zelda was in her chambers, reading a book, when all of a sudden her head took in a sudden burst of extreme pain. She grabbed it and let out a cry.

Link burst in and ran to her side. "Zelda, what is it?" he asked, very concerned.

Zelda didn't answer for a minute, because the pain was too great. Link waited impatiently until she was ready. "Link, something's very wrong! The last time I got these headaches, Ganondorf…"

They both opened their eyes wide, and suddenly they both yelped in pain. They both had a burning sensation on their right hands. They each lifted a hand up, and both gasped with disbelief. A dark gray Triforce had embedded itself on their hands. But on Link's hand, the Triforce of Courage (the right triangle) was glowing a gold color, while the Triforce of Wisdom (the left triangle) was glowing on Zelda's hand.

"Link, Ganondorf must be back!" Zelda cried.

"M'lady!" a servant called. "Look outside!"

Link and Zelda both ran out of the castle and looked at the sky, where servants and soldiers were crying out in amazement. There were dark gray clouds, but they also had a greenish-reddish tinge. Rain was starting to fall in sheets, and lightning streaked the sky. "He's definitely back," Zelda murmured to herself.

"Link! Zelda!" a voice shouted. Link and Zelda turned to find Joes running towards them. "Aiden and Alaina are out in Hyrule Field! They're in grave danger!"

Zelda's head bowed down, tears filling her eyes. But determination took over her mind, and she fiercely wiped them away. "Aiden and Alaina probably know what's going on, and are trying to get here as we speak," she said sternly. "Joes, I need you to get our other best knights and bring the army into Hyrule Field, and find Aiden and Alaina."

"What about you two?" Joes asked.

"Link and I will head there now. Link, meet me at the Temple of Time. You need to go get your items," Zelda ordered.

Link obediently nodded and dashed off. It didn't take long since the weapons closet was right there, but he also ran to his room and pulled on familiar white leggings, a white undershirt, and a green tunic. He slipped on a belt and attached his quiver and shield to his back. He grabbed his Bomb Bag and dashed out. He found a horse in the stables and rode it to Castle Town, where the Temple of Time was.

"I'm going to have to yell at Alaina later for taking Reya," Link said to himself, making him wish even more that Epona was still alive.

In five minutes, he reached the Temple of Time and ran inside. Zelda had already transformed herself to her alter ego, Sheik, and was covered in a blue bodysuit, while bandages covered her hair, face, and torso. "Link, I have the Light Arrows. Get the Master Sword, quickly!"

Link ran to the chamber where the Master Sword and yanked it out, relishing the familiar, light feel on his hand. He turned to Zelda.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Let's go," Zelda answered, placing the Light Arrows in her quiver.

Then Link and Zelda raced out of the temple, climbed on the horse, and sped through Castle Town and into the field.


	3. Chapter 3

-1**Alaina**

Third chapter! As corny as it sounds, it was a little hard to write this (I told you it was corny!) And to help write this, I listened to this really cool Ocremix of Dragon Roost Island, which had a sad tune to it. As usual, I don't own Zelda but I own the characters listed in the last two chapters. Don't like it, don't read it!

Chapter 3

In a totally different place, basically connected to the Temple of Time, was the Sacred Realm. Deep in the Sacred Realm was the Chamber of the Sages. There was a big platform with the Triforce in the middle, while six different colored circles surrounded it. One was yellow, with a symbol of Light. The second one was green, with a symbol of the forest. The third one was red, with the symbol of fire. The fourth was blue, with the symbol of the water. The fifth one was purple, with the symbol of the shadows, and the fifth one was orange, with the symbol of the spirits. All six circles glowed their respected colors and lights appeared. One by one, each sage appeared; the Light Sage, Rauru, the Forest Sage, Saria, the Fire Sage, Darunia, the Water Sage, Ruto, the Shadow Sage, Impa, and the Spirit Sage, Nabooru. They all started talking with confusion and fear in their voices.

Rauru was bald, and had piercing gray eyes and a white beard. He was a big, powerful man with a long, flowing gold robe, and he was basically the leader, so he stepped to the middle. "Sages!" he boomed. All of them stopped talking and looked intently at him.

"Rauru, what happened?" Saria's timid voice asked. The Sage of the Forest was a Kokiri, a tribe made up of all children and never grew up. She had green hair and green eyes, and was one of Link's best friends.

"Hyrule, as we all know, is now in grave danger," Rauru announced gravely. "Ganondorf has escaped from the Sacred Realm, and how that had happened is beyond me, but because of it, he has become extremely more powerful than before."

"But Link and Zelda have their Triforce pieces as well," Darunia, the Fire Sage, spoke up. He was from the Goron tribe, a species that were a golden color and looked like giant rocks. Darunia had blazing red eyes and a gray beard. "They can at least stop him, right?"

"Where is he now?" the Water Sage, Ruto, asked. She was a Zora, a tribe that were like fishes but could walk like humans and breathed air as well as water. She was also the former princess of the tribe.

"The cyclone is at the middle of Hyrule Field, so that's probably where Ganondorf and his army will be approaching," Rauru said. "As for Link and Zelda being able to stop him, Darunia, I don't know. Nabooru, does the Gerudo tribe still follow Ganondorf?"

"No, not at all," Nabooru, the Spirit Sage, answered. She was once the second-in-command of the Gerudos (Ganondorf was once the actual leader). She had long, red hair, tan skin, and gold eyes.

"Rauru," Impa said, her eyes wide. "Link and Zelda's daughter and her friend were at Lake Hylia. They must've seen the clouds and are trying to get home. We need to find them!"

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Rauru agreed. "Link had already retrieved the Master Sword, and I supplied Zelda with the Light Arrows. They are heading to Hyrule Field now, and the Hyrulian army is getting ready as we speak."

"Rauru, if Ganondorf is more powerful as you say," Saria said slowly. "Will Zelda and Link…survive?"

Rauru didn't answer the question directly, but he did say, "That's why we need to get down there."

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Alaina and Aiden rode through Hyrule Field with incredible speed, their horses galloping as fast as they could. The rain was falling down even faster and heavier, making it hard to see. The wind was howling and the speed was incredible, often throwing Alaina and Aiden off course. The clouds were quickly approaching, the eye of the cyclone growing even bigger. No matter how far they tried to ride from it, it seemed to be getting closer.

"Aiden!" Alaina yelled. "I don't think we're going to make it!" There was a deep pit in her heart as she said those words.

Despite the rain blinding her vision, Alaina could faintly make out Aiden shaking his head. "No!" he yelled back. "We will! Castle Town is right over there!"

All of a sudden, the rain stopped. Just like that. The wind suddenly stopped blowing as well. However, the clouds were still there. As if they were in a trance, Aiden and Alaina stopped their horses and looked to see what was going on.

"Oh. My. Goddesses," Alaina gasped, going deathly pale.

The eye of the cyclone grew even bigger, and one by one, monsters started falling out. Aiden quietly handed his bow and arrows to Alaina, and then drew out his sword. More monsters, in all different shapes, colors, and sizes, kept falling out of the eye, but even then it was silent as stone. Alaina and Aiden slapped their horses' flanks, causing them to gallop, as a last ditch effort to get away, but deep down they knew it wouldn't be possible. Alaina suddenly remembered a lesson from her magic classes with her mother and Impa. Alaina was had an extremely strong bond with her parents, and therefore had a mental connection with them. She forgot the pandemonium and everything else around her and completely focused on contacting her mother through her mind.

_Mom! MOM! Can you hear me?_

Silence. Alaina kept trying, hoping that Zelda could at least listen to her.

_Mom, Aiden and I are trapped in Hyrule Field. Ganondorf-_

"**Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh**." A slow, deep laugh disturbed the eerie silence.

Alaina and Aiden slowly turned to the direction of the noise, but they saw nothing, not even any monsters.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

The horses reared with complete fear, causing Alaina and Aiden to fall off, and rushed back towards the castle, leaving them behind. Ganondorf had suddenly warped himself to land right in front of them, which had caused the horses to bolt.

Alaina almost started screaming hysterically but miraculously caught herself. Aiden got up and held up his sword threateningly.

Ganondorf merely laughed even harder than before. "A sword? You think that will stop me?" he laughed, pushing Aiden aside. "You remind me of your so-called Hero when he was a naïve kid."

"Don't you ever say anything bad about the Hero!" Alaina burst out. She gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. She wasn't sure if Ganondorf knew who she was, but it seemed like he didn't. But if he did learn that she was the daughter of the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny, she would be in _big _trouble.

"You _dare _to threaten me?" Ganondorf boomed, a ball of electricity in his hand. He shot it straight at her, and Alaina braced for the hit that never came. She opened her eyes and looked up. Aiden had blocked it with his sword. Alaina sprang up during the distraction and set up her bow and arrow. She quietly murmured, "fire." A flame erupted at the tip and she shot it at Ganondorf's head, which instantly struck him.

"ARGH!" Ganondorf shouted, ripping it out. To Alaina's shock, it left a mere cut. Blood streamed down in a little ribbon but it didn't seem to bother Ganondorf. Alaina and Aiden slowly stepped backwards as Ganondorf started to unleash a wave of dark magic.

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Link mentally cursed to himself as he and Zelda rode through the vast field. They were only halfway through until the reached the very middle, where Ganondorf, Alaina, and Aiden were, and for all he knew…

He gulped, refusing to accept the worst. All he wanted to do was just get to the middle of Hyrule Field and defeat that bastard all over again. It was easy last time, and Link and Zelda had only gotten more experienced afterwards, so he wasn't worried. Also, Joes was rounding up the army and they should be going out into the fields any minute, and no doubt the Sages were all warped back to the Sacred Realm.

Alaina and Aiden were good fighters, and they'd be able to hold off Ganondorf until they got there. Then all they had to do was seal his ugly green ass back into the Sacred Realm.

Just like last time.

Link smiled to himself. This was going to be a piece of cake.

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A little bit to the east, back in Lon Lon Ranch, Lila was outside playing with the Cuccoos when she noticed the dark clouds approaching.

"Mom? Dad?" she called out.

Malon and Lionel emerged from the house at the sound of her calls, followed by Talon, who was moving remarkably fast for a slightly overweight man in his middle 60s.

"Oh Goddesses!" Malon gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. _No, it can't be. Not again!_

"Mom?" Lila whimpered, tugging on Malon's skirt.

Malon looked over at her. "Lila, honey, come with me and bring the horses into the stables." Lila looked at her with panic. "Don't worry, it's only a storm," Malon continued. _A really bad storm is more like it, _she added inwardly. Lila looked a little more relaxed and she and Malon went over to the horse ring to retrieve the horses.

Lionel, clearly not convinced, moved Talon over to the side. "What's happening?" he murmured to Talon.

_Lionel didn't live in Hyrule when this happened twenty-two years ago; of course he has no idea_, Talon thought to himself as he studied the ground with worry.

"Talon?" Lionel said urgently.

Talon looked up at the young man staring at him. He needed answers. "Son, you're good with your Hyrulian history, right?"

"Yes…" Lionel replied slowly. "Why?"

Talon sighed. "Have you ever heard about Ganondorf?"

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"Unnnhhhh…"

"Alaina. Alaina, wake up!" Aiden hissed in her ear.

Alaina was lying on her back, but what she was lying on didn't feel like grass. She looked up. She was still in the middle of Hyrule Field, but she and Aiden were placed in a cage. They must've been knocked unconscious when Ganondorf attack them with the Dark magic. She looked over to her right, where Aiden was sitting.

"Is there anyway we can get out of here?" she hissed to him.

"No," Aiden whispered back. "This cage is pure Dark Magic, so it'll kill us if we try to escape. Besides, Ganondorf's got his army everywhere, and even if we could escape, they'd be the ones to kill us."

"Why aren't we dead now?" Alaina questioned, shuddering at the thought.

Aiden sighed. "I don't know. I think he senses something strange in you or something. He seems to be waiting for someone now."

They glanced over, where Ganondorf was pacing, swinging his mighty weapon around. The Triforce of Power on his hand was glowing brightly.

"The Triforce of Power," Alaina muttered.

"What?" Aiden asked.

"The Triforce of Power, Aiden!" Alaina repeated. "Ganondorf still has the Triforce of Power which means…"

"Your mother and father have the other two," Aiden finished, staring intently at her.

Alaina almost started freaking out. "Oh my Goddesses, that's who he's waiting for!" she cried, not caring if he heard or not anymore.

Ganondorf turned his head toward them and walked to the cage. "You can stop pulling your little charade. I know exactly who you are." He looked up to the red sky and cackled. "The daughter of the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny! How adorable!"

"What do you want with me?" Alaina dared to ask.

"For someone whose mother has the Triforce of Wisdom, you seem to be very naïve," Ganondorf replied, evil amusement creeping on his face. "Your mother and father are on their way as we speak, and they're probably thinking that all they have to do is get you two back to your precious castle and defeat me as easily as last time!" He laughed loudly again. "But I'm afraid that they're wrong. Absolutely wrong!" His voice lowered to a dangerous tone. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to escape out of the Sacred Realm?"

"It's impossible!" Aiden said.

"How dumb can you two possibly get? If it's impossible, how did I get out?" Ganondorf roared. "It took practice, patience, training, and most of all, power!" Lightning flashed above him as he spoke. "All of this has made me even more powerful that I'm unstoppable. Not even the Hero of Time and his precious wife can defeat me! Especially when I use the Triforce of Power to my advantage!"

"But where do I come in?" Alaina asked shakily.

"You, my dear, will watch your parents perish." Ganondorf grinned evilly. "And you and your little friend will watch in chains as I take over your once peaceful land, just as I done before. And this time, there will be no one to stop me. Then, you two will work for me in hard labor and torture and you will do whatever I say. Not even the Sages will be able to stop me. They are powerless without the Hero of Time!"

Alaina's body filled with rage and ran toward the bars, determined to get through them no matter what, but Aiden held her back, trying to soothe her while she screamed intelligible words, flailing her arms all over the place. Finally, she grew exhausted and collapsed in Aiden's arms, her body trembling.

Ganondorf watched this with the evil smile on his face. "I think that because of your intolerable behavior, I should send my army to battle your parents themselves. Is that enough punishment for you?"

Alaina's eyes opened wide. "What? NO!"

An arrow suddenly zoomed past Ganondorf's head, obviously serving a distraction. "HEY GANONDORK! MISS US?!"

Alaina turned to the voice, and her eyes filled with surprise and slight relief as her parents rode up and jumped off the horse, which immediately ran off. Alaina couldn't believe her eyes. It was like a flashback fifteen years ago. Her father was dressed in his old green tunic and elfish hat, carrying most of the same weapons, and her mother was Sheik again, letting needles fly and letting magic loose. Screw Ganondorf and his whole threat. Her parents have this all covered.

As the battle went on, Alaina's confidence slowly waned. Link and Zelda were fighting as hard as they could, aiming everything perfectly at Ganondorf. He had tears and cuts all over him, and no matter how many Light Arrows struck him, he didn't seem to be going down. Link and Zelda, however, were panting, their strength slowly leaving them, their movements slower. Alaina watched this with fear. _Goddesses, where are the Sages or the soldiers?_

The hooves of thousands of horses were thundering on the ground, and the whinnies caught Alaina's and Aiden's attention. The Hyrulian soldiers quickly approached the scene, waving their swords and letting out battle cries. Ganondorf momentarily stopped fighting and turned to his army, who were waiting a few yards behind him.

"MY FOLLOWERS! ATTACK THEM!"

Ganondorf's army let out cries of their own and galloped to meet the Hyrulian army. Swords clashed and shields were raised. Bodies were soon flying all over the place. Alaina covered her eyes as Aiden gently rubbed her back.

"Aiden! Alaina!"

Joes ran up to them, avoiding the pandemonium, being extremely careful not to touch the cage. "It'll be okay. We'll get you out of here as soon as we can."

Meanwhile, it was even more evident that Link and Zelda were losing the battle. There were numerous cuts on Link, and the left shoulder of his tunic was stained red with his blood. Zelda had it no less better. She also had many deep cuts and it looked like she would collapse any minute. Alaina watched with horror as she finally dropped to the ground and Link ran over to hold her up.

"How did you become so powerful?!" Link shouted at him with terror.

"You know, _Hero_" he said with a mocking tone, "Being locked in the Sacred Realm had its benefits. As I explained to your daughter just before, I practiced my powers day after day, and each time I became stronger. Strong enough to break free!" Lightning pierced the sky once more as he laughed. "And now both you and Zelda are too weak to fight, and you seem to have forgotten my true power!" He roared with laughter and flew up into the air, holding out his hand. The Triforce of Power glowed even more brightly, and suddenly Ganondorf was surrounded by a bright light. He slowly began to change shape into a giant ferocious beast. Both armies stopped fighting to look at this incredible spectacle. Alaina uttered a low cry as she, Aiden, and Joes looked on in horror.

In a few seconds, Ganondorf had morphed into Ganon.

"YOU SEE!" the beast roared, picking up Zelda and Link with his giant paw, holding them up in the air. They struggled weakly, and it was hopelessly clear that they couldn't get out of this one. The soldiers turned away from Ganon's armies and focused their fighting on Ganon, hoping to free Link and Zelda. But Ganon was so strong, the blasts from the bombs and the piercing of arrows and swords didn't even leave a mark.

Alaina suddenly realized the fate of her parents, and her eyes instantly filled with tears. "MOM! DAD!" she screamed, choking back a sob.

Ganon picked up a sword so gigantic, it could kill multiple people with one stab. Alaina forced herself to watch as he leveled it at Link and Zelda's hearts. They gave their daughter looks of sorrow, sadness, and their last attempt at love. Tears streamed down Alaina's face as she watched Ganon pull the sword back, and then…

It was over.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Alaina screamed hysterically, thrashing around wildly while Aiden tried whatever he could to calm her down. The Master Sword dropped from Link's limp hand, and Joes dashed to grab it and hurried back before Ganon could strike him. Ganon roared angrily, and was about to slash at him, but then six different colored beams shot at him, paralyzing him.

"What?" Aiden murmured, looking up at the sight, ignoring Alaina's violent thrashing.

One sage left the scene quickly to shoot a beam of light into the dark cage. The cage instantly disappeared. Alaina lifted her tear-stained face to look at the sorrowful face of Rauru. The Sages finally arrived…a few seconds too late.

He returned to shoot his beam while Impa was the one to break free, dodging the fighting around her and immediately wrapping Alaina in a tight embrace, sobs wracking both of their bodies. While Alaina cried hysterically into her shoulder, Impa turned to Joes.

"Joes, Alaina has to be brought out of here right away," she told him shakily, narrowly avoiding an arrow shot by a Moblin. She quickly shot a beam at it, and it died. "Take her and Aiden back to the castle, and have Alaina retrieve her belongings. Quickly!" She pulled Alaina back so she was looking at her. "Alaina, listen to me. Be brave about this. Do not be afraid, at least not now. You're going to have to flee Hyrule. The Sages will hold off Ganon as long as we can, and the Hyrulian army will take care of Ganon's. You'll be safe."

Alaina nodded, wiping her eyes. "Good-bye Impa," she choked out.

Impa tried not to completely lose it as she hugged Alaina again. "Good-bye, Alaina. Remember, you will return eventually. Don't forget that." She nudged her toward Joes. "Get out of here before any of Ganon's followers have time to catch you."

She handed a now silent Alaina to Joes, and Impa quickly returned to the other Sages. Joes, Aiden, and Alaina quickly hopped on Joes's horse and galloped away fast enough that nobody took notice.

Impa turned to Rauru. "RAURU!" she shouted. "How much longer can we hold him off?"

Rauru gazed at Ganon. "Long enough so Alaina can flee. She can't afford to waste any time."

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About an half hour later, Joes, Alaina, and Aiden rode through Castle Town at incredible speed, where townsfolk stared from their windows in confusion. The dark clouds now completely enveloped Hyrule, and Joes knew that they couldn't afford to use up any more of their precious time.

They approached the castle and Alaina hopped off. "Alaina," Joes said hurriedly, and Alaina looked up at him. "You only have a few minutes to pack your belongings, so you must be ready by then. Aiden and I are heading to our quarters to pack ours, so we'll be right back."

Alaina only nodded and dashed into the castle and up through the tower into her room. She looked out the window for a second and could see the beams of light in the distance. She shuddered and kept back another sob as she took out a gigantic bag and packed her plainest dresses and her tunics, and she dumped any accessories in as well. She reached into her jewelry box and pulled out her locket. With a feeling of deep sadness, she carefully packed it in a special case and placed it in the bag. When she was certain she had everything she needed, she ran back downstairs but instead headed through a hall to another room. She took out a special key and unlocked the door, and barged inside.

This room was the Royal Family treasury, and also where she and her family kept various weapons. Alaina grabbed her Boomerang, Long shot, and her sword and shield. She attached the shield on her back and placed the sword in its sheath. The Iron boots and Megaton hammer made the sack much heavier, but with some magic, Alaina could carry it once more with ease. She was about to run out when she remembered something. She found a secret wall and pushed it, revealing another room, lit with torches that surrounded a treasure chest. Alaina opened the chest which revealed the Ocarina of Time. She knew that it was extremely crucial that Ganondorf didn't get it. She closed the chest and walked out of the rooms, locking the door again. Certain that she had everything, she ran out of the castle, grabbed Reya from the stables, and waited for Aiden and Joes to arrive. A little less than a minute later, they did.

"Where's the Master Sword?" Alaina cried, just noticing that Joes didn't possess it.

"I quickly handed it to Impa before we left," Joes answered. "She and the other Sages will place it back behind the Door of Time, where it will be safe." Another guard rode up, who Alaina recognized as Eira's husband Miles.

"Alaina," Joes began. "Miles will take you to a village where his friend lives. You'll be living with his family."

"How long?" Alaina asked flatly.

Joes sighed. "I don't know," he finally answered.

Alaina bowed her head down. Then she looked back up. "Where is this village?"

"In the kingdom far east of Hyrule, which is Catalia. The path there is behind the mountains. Aiden, I'm going back to the field. I need you to go to Kokiri Forest. You can get there by also traveling behind the mountains."

"All right," Aiden agreed softly.

Joes looked at Alaina with genuine emotion. "Alaina, I promise you, we will meet again," he said, wrapping Alaina in a giant hug. "We will stop Ganondorf eventually. I know that much."

Alaina nodded, remembering Impa's warning not to cry. "Good-bye, Joes," she murmured, hopping on Reya. As Joes rode the path to Castle Town, Alaina, Miles, and Aiden took the other path that would lead behind the mountains. Only Alaina looked back, getting a last glimpse at the place that was once her home.

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Alaina, Miles, and Aiden rode in complete silence through the forests behind the mountains. They had been traveling for about an hour now, and Alaina was filled with dread knowing that pretty soon she and Aiden would have to separate.

That time came a few minutes later. The big path split into two separate paths; one leading to the forests, and one branching out even farther from the mountains. The three of them stood still.

"Alaina, I'll be behind those trees. I won't hear or see anything," Miles told her, and rode off to a bushel of trees. Alaina and Aiden looked after him for a minute, and then they jumped off their horses and stood behind them, blocking them from view.

"Alaina," Aiden said softly, using his fingers to lift up Alaina's chin. "You and I both know that we're going to be separated for a while."

"I know," Alaina whispered, her ice blue eyes filling up with tears.

Aiden smiled faintly. "You can cry in front of me if you want," he told her.

Alaina started to, but not loudly. "I'll miss you," she said, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly, never wanting to let go.

"I'll miss you too," Aiden responded, pulling back, staring at Alaina fiercely, drinking in every part of her so he'd remember her clearly for months, even years, to come. Before Alaina and even he knew it, he kissed her softly on the cheek.

Alaina looked at him with her pain-filled eyes as he looked like he was going to say something important. However, he didn't. "Good-bye," he whispered, getting on his horse.

Alaina hopped on hers and rode up to Miles, and they rode on through the path to Catalia while Aiden continued on to the forest. Neither of them looked back.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Okay, so the original Chapter 4 was on my laptop, but something happened, and I had to rewrite it on my other computer. The problem: I had writer's block for days until I recently started writing Ch. 4 again. I don't own Zelda and it will be a miracle if I ever do, and I also don't own the kingdom of Catalia, but I do own the village of Nighta, and Alaina and other various characters.

The sun shone over the tops of the tallest trees, shining on the land below it and filling the air with sweet warmth. The youngest children were outside, playing with their toys or playing games, their laughter disturbing the calm nature of the late morning. Adults and some of the teenagers had ventured outside much earlier to tend to the fields as usual, making sure there was nothing wrong with their crops. In the village of Nighta, Catalia, it was a normal morning.

The sun also shone through the windows in the houses, filling the rooms with extreme light and extreme warmth. This was the case in a bedroom in one of the houses, where the sun hit it the most. A lump in the bed groaned and ducked under the covers, too tired and lazy to face the day. The scheme almost worked, but the figure forgot another thing.

"ALI! ALI! ALI!"

The figure sighed, trying to ignore the chanting of the children. When the voices only got louder, the covers were finally ripped off, revealing a beautiful, slender eighteen-year-old woman with long blonde hair and ice blue eyes.

Alaina shook her head good-naturedly as she opened the window and peered outside. There was a group of village children waiting for her, as she expected.

"Hold on, guys. I'll be right out!" Alaina called to them.

"Hurry, Ali!" they replied.

Some time ago, the children stopped calling her Alaina and began to call her Ali, and the name stuck with everyone in the village.

Alaina closed the curtains and went to her dresser. She pulled on a tunic but went without leggings for the weather was hot. She quickly slipped on her boots and then dashed outside.

"ALI!" the children cried, diving on top of her and knocking her to the ground, giggling with joy.

"Nice to see you too," Alaina mumbled, playfully messing up their hair. "What's up?"

The children gasped. "Don't you know what day it is?" one of them asked.

Alaina thought carefully, but her mind was blank. She shook her head.

"It's your birthday!" another child burst out, her grin a mile wide.

Alaina mentally slapped herself. She forgot! She was turning eighteen today!

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALI!" the children screamed joyfully, hugging her again.

"Awww, thanks guys," Alaina beamed, hugging them in return. She looked back toward her house. "I'm going to go eat breakfast now and then I'll be back out."

The children groaned, but they understood, and scampered off to their various activities.

Alaina smiled as she watched them leave, remembering how she became their friend years ago by joining them in their games. This simple task easily placed her in the children's hearts. Although there were plenty of people her age that she always worked with or were friends with, she still enjoyed playing with the children.

She ventured back into her house and walked to the back where the kitchen was. A woman was at the stove, just finishing cooking a meal. She was Anaka Murkoto, the wife of the mayor, Jimney. The Murkotos were the family that had taken Alaina in when she had arrived five years earlier, and loved her like their own daughter. They actually had children of their own, Zaypha, Selina, and Nanda.

"Happy Birthday, honey!" Anaka said, and gave Alaina a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, Anaka!" Alaina replied. She studied her breakfast. "Mmmm, this looks good," she observed about the Cuccoo bacon, toast, and eggs.

Anaka smiled. "Your favorite breakfast," she said, laying it out on the table. "Take your time, Ali. You don't need to work in the fields today."

Alaina dutifully sat in her seat and began to eat the well-made meal. "Do you need me to watch the kids?" she asked, referring to the Murkoto girls.

"Only if you want to play with them," Anaka reassured her. "It's your birthday, honey. You can do whatever you want." She laughed. "I always have to say this to you every year."

"Where's Jimney?" Alaina asked.

"He has some out-of-town business to do, but he'll be back by tonight." She snapped her fingers. "There is something you can do for me, Ali. I need you to make sure that you and the girls are ready for tonight."

Alaina was confused. "What's tonight?" she asked.

Anaka looked at her with disbelief. "Your coming-of-age party!" she exclaimed.

"Ohhhh, right!" Alaina said, instantly remembering. When a boy or girl in the village turned eighteen, the village threw a party to celebrate their transformation into an adult. Alaina always loved those parties. Whenever she had gone, they always seemed so fun, innocent, free, and so…magical. Yes, that was the right word. To her, the parties seemed to make time stop and make everything right with the world, if only for a short time.

In addition, when they turn eighteen, the said person had to make a choice if they want to stay in the village or go out to explore the world. There were plenty of people that stayed in the village, and much more that had ventured out to explore Catalia and even other kingdoms.

"So I'll have your dresses laid out for you," Anaka said, disturbing Alaina from her thoughts. "I can't wait to see you in yours. I know you'll love it."

Alaina smiled fondly, thinking about the few occasions she had seen Anaka working on the dresses. Anaka was right, she _would _love it.

"What are you going to do today?" Anaka added.

Alaina thought for a moment. "Probably walk to the spring and hang out with the girls, and play with the village children."

"That sounds fine," Anaka agreed. "Oh, and Milo stopped by when you were still sleeping. He said he'll come back later."

"Oh," Alaina responded, inwardly groaning. Milo Shanau was a boy in the village who was Alaina's age. He had turned eighteen about a few weeks ago, and was going to the Catalian capital to train for the Catalian army. He was Nighta's best warrior and the village was so proud of him. As a person though, he was conceited and self-absorbed 80 of the time, and had a huge crush on Alaina, never giving up hope that he would win her someday. He was okay, but she had no interest in him, for her heart belonged to someone else…

No, she would _not _think about it.

Luckily, her growing thoughts were saved when the door banged opened and Selina ran in. The young girl of ten stopped at Alaina's feet and shook her arm. "Ali, come on!" she burst out.

Alaina silently thanked the Goddesses she wasn't eating at the time, or else she surely would have choked. She turned to Selina. "Where?" she asked, not noticing Anaka's and Selina's secretive grins.

"Just follow me!" Selina demanded. Alaina had no choice but to follow, but to humor the girl, she stood up and bent over. "Yes, master!" she croaked.

Selina giggled and grabbed Alaina's hand. They ran out of the house and followed the path that led into the woods. A minute or so later, they stopped just before the spring, a group of trees blocking it from view.

Thirteen-year-old Zaypha and six-year-old Nanda emerged from the spring, their faces full of pride as they noticed Alaina. "Finally!" little Nanda blurted out.

Alaina bent down and picked her up, her lightweight body barely affecting Alaina. "What's going on?" she asked.

Zaypha cleared her throat. "Alaina," she began. "This gift is from the Murkoto girls to you."

Alaina chuckled to herself. It was obvious that the speech was memorized.

Nanda squirmed to be put down, and Alaina released her. She looked back up to Alaina. "We hope that you love this gift, and we wish you a happy birthday!"

The three girls' green eyes sparkled with excitement as Zaypha ordered Alaina to close her eyes. Grabbing her hands, the girls guided Alaina to the spring. Alaina could feel the cool water soaking her boots.

"Okay, open your eyes," Selina guided.

Alaina slowly opened them, and squealed with delight at the sight. Her horse, Reya, was drinking water from the spring, but when she looked up and saw Alaina, she neighed happily. The girls had washed and groomed the horse until her chestnut coat shone, and they had even gone as far as to braid parts of her mane, tied with colorful ribbons. Whether that part was a joke or not, Alaina loved it, and she loved the whole thing.

"Oh my Goddesses!" she couldn't help yelling, and she ran to her beloved mare, one of her only ties to the past (not that she thought about that) and hugged its elegant neck. She had been so busy over the past few months that she was never able to give Reya her daily washing, which by now, she had desperately needed. "Thank you so much!" she added, piling all of them in a group hug. Reya snorted on all of them, causing them to fall in hysterics.

"We had to, Ali," Zaypha said, her lip twitching. "Reya was really starting to smell."

Alaina smiled apologetically to her mare, and hugged it again. "I'll leave her in the meadow instead of putting her in the stables. It's a nice day, and the stables are so stuffy."

The girls nodded and ran off, while Alaina took the horses rope and led it to the meadow, which was to the side of the Murkoto house. She noticed the targets in the backyard, and she headed back in the house and into her room.

She opened her walk-in closet. Ignoring the racks of clothes, she pushed them back to a spot that she hadn't wandered in awhile. There laid her old weapons; her sword, Hylian shield, boomerang, long shot, and her quiver of arrows. She hadn't used any of these weapons since she arrived to the village. With a faint smile, she took the quiver and hurried away from the closet, closing the door and running outside as if she was being chased by a Peehat.

She stared down the targets, seeming to relish the old memories of her archery experiences. She pulled out her bow and took out her arrow, aiming it right at the target. Then she remembered something, and moved it a little to the right.

"_You'll miss it," _a voice told her in her head, as clear as day.

Alaina smirked to herself as she got ready to shoot the arrow. "No I won't," she murmured.

"_Yeah you will. Your aim isn't even close to the target," _the voice said again.

Alaina thought wistfully to the time where she had flattened Aiden once again at archery, using her then-new skill with the seemingly badly aimed arrow.

"Seriously, there's no way that you'll hit the target," the same voice added.

"What?" Alaina whirled around. The voice wasn't in her head at all. It was Milo, and he was holding something behind his back.

"First time shooting the arrows?" Milo asked, his arrogant pride already starting to creep up. His wavy, golden-brown hair blew in the light wind, and his green eyes sparkled with keen interest. He reminded her so much of…

NO, not again!

Alaina turned back to the target. "I had some experience before," she said.

Milo looked disbelieving. "You're lying," he said, a sneer written on his face.

Alaina didn't respond, but shot the arrow, just to the right. As she expected, the arrow curved to the left at the last minute, hitting the dead-center.

She grinned. She still had it.

"How-" Milo cut himself off, and resumed to glaring at Alaina. "That's not right! Since when were you trained in archery?"

Alaina started laughing. "That's none of your business," she answered. She tried looking behind him. "So what do you have behind your back?"

Milo turned his head, for he had briefly forgotten that he had anything with him. "Oh," he muttered, suddenly turning shy. Alaina tilted her head in confusion. "It's just some flowers that I picked in the woods…" He held them out, his cheeks slightly turning red.

Alaina took them from him, smelling the sweet scent. "Milo, where did you get these?" she asked, for she had never seen them before.

"Well, you know how there's flowers in the middle of the thorn bushes?" Milo began.

"You didn't!" Alaina exclaimed, noticing the scrapes all over his arms.

"Well, yeah, I kinda did," Milo replied. "It's no big deal."

"Yeah it is!" Alaina said. "Remember when Jimney fell in them last year. He was screaming and crying like a little baby!"

"That's the point, Ali. He actually fell in them and his whole body was cut up. Only my arms are scraped!" Milo sighed. "I mean, I'm Nighta's best warrior."

"But not the smartest," Alaina pointed out. "Don't you have gauntlets you could've worn?"

Milo didn't respond, and Alaina shook her head. "Come inside. I'll clean those up for you," she said, taking his hand.

Milo tried to pull back. "It's nothing!" he insisted.

Alaina ignored him and pulled him into the house. She soaked some rags in warm water and applied them to Milo's arms. Milo waited patiently as Alaina rubbed his arms with the rags and then applied some herbs to help them heal quicker. She sat up when she was done. "There you go," she announced.

Milo stood up as Alaina put the flowers in the vase. "I better go now," he mumbled. "Thanks, Ali. Happy birthday." He paused, and quickly kissed Alaina on the lips. Then he left. Stunned, Alaina placed her hand where he had kissed her.

_If only he wasn't so damn self-absorbed._

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The day passed quickly. Alaina entertained herself by shooting her arrows, playing with the village children, and hanging out with friends her age. Zaypha had also spotted Alaina shooting her arrows and demanded some lessons, so they spent the last two hours of the day practicing. When the sun was beginning to set, she told Zaypha to get Selina and Nanda so they could all get ready for the party.

Alaina quickly washed herself thoroughly, getting rid of the dirt and sweat on her body. When she felt clean, she dried off and put on the dress that Anaka had laid out for her. It was a light blue color, matching her eyes perfectly, and it was short-sleeved and wide necked. Her sash was tied at the waist, and was loose but clung to the right places. It was perfect.

She went in her drawer to find her comb when she noticed some sort of mini compartment in one of them. Curious, she opened it, and her breath caught in her throat when she was what was inside.

It was her old locket and the Ocarina of Time, the last two ties to her past.

She glanced at the blue instrument, memories starting to come back. Then she picked up her locket and opened it with trembling fingers. Tears filled in her eyes when she looked at the pictures. She hadn't seen her parents since that day…

She studied herself in the picture when she was a young teenager, and then looked up to her reflection in the mirror. She hadn't noticed how different she looked. Her blonde hair was longer and more wavier than ever, and her facial features now resembled Zelda's instead of Link's. She looked longingly at her thirteen-year-old self, who was beaming. She used to look so innocent and so free. She looked at herself in the mirror. Now she looked tired, sad and like she lost all hope. She had never seen that before. She placed the locket back in the drawer, trying to forget what she had just saw.

"Hey Ali!" Selina's voice called from the other room. "Are you almost ready?"

"Yes!" she called back. She took out her comb and combed her blonde locks until they shone. She light applied some makeup, and when she was satisfied, walked out into the main room. The Murkoto girls were sitting on the chairs, waiting. They were all wearing different-styled dark red dresses, which clashed brilliantly with their auburn hair.

"Ready to go?" Alaina announced.

"Yes!" the girls exclaimed in unison.

They all walked out of the house, with Nanda and Selina grabbing on to Alaina's hands and Zaypha walked a short distance ahead of them. A minute later, they reached the village square. It was illuminated by candles and different colored lights, and Alaina was already eying the different foods on the buffet tables. The village people were gathered and all of them were smiling as Alaina entered. She expected this, as the same was done to everybody. Zaypha, Selina, and Nanda ran to their parents' sides. Jimney walked up to Alaina and hugged her. "Happy birthday, Ali,": he whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry I was out all day."

"It's okay," Alaina beamed at him.

Anaka joined them and hugged Alaina next. "Enjoy the party," she said. "I know how long you had looked forward to this." She nodded at the village musicians to begin playing the music. They began playing a lively, dancing beat, the music filling up the air, drifting up to the night sky.

"Hey Ali!" a voice called. Alaina ran over to the voice, which belonged to Xena Murkoto, the cousin of the Zaypha, Selina, and Nanda. She was Alaina's age and they were best friends. She was standing with Alaina's other friends. They all held out a small, thin black box. "Happy birthday!" they cried in unison.

Alaina carefully opened the box, revealing beautiful, homemade glass bracelets in different colors. "Oh, it's beautiful!" she sighed, holding one of them up, the colors reflecting off the firelight. She found one that matched her dress, and slipped it on.

Milo passed by, looking at Alaina and giving her a small smile. The girls smiled knowingly at Alaina when he was gone.

"He totally likes you, Ali," Xena pointed out. Alaina just gave her a look.

"You know that the traditional waltz is coming up, right?" Camille Hetry pointed out, knowing fully well that Alaina had no interest in Milo. "Everyone will expect you to dance with him."

"There's plenty of other boys, though!" Alaina argued.

"But the whole village knows that Milo likes you," Sophia Corran said.

Alaina ended the conversation by piling food on her plate, and the other girls followed suit. They spent the next half-hour eating and talking about simple things.

A spoon clinked against the glass. "Excuse me," Jimney announced, and everyone in the village square were quiet. "It's time for the waltz. Alaina will pick the boy she would want to dance with."

A crowd of men about ages eighteen to twenty gathered a few feet away from Alaina. She smiled at the sight. She studied the men, and laid her eyes on Milo, who was standing at the end. His eyes held hope, and she instantly hated herself for being such a sucker. "Milo," she said.

Milo couldn't help grinning as he walked up to Alaina. He placed one hand on her waist and grabbed her other hand with his. She tentatively placed her hand on his shoulder. Jimney nodded at the musicians and they began to play a slow, beautiful tune (A/N: Think the Title Screen from Ocarina of Time). Everybody watched as Milo and Alaina gracefully waltzed, and in the middle of the song, they all joined in. Milo stared intently at Alaina, his green eyes piercing through her.

"Thank you for picking me, Ali," he whispered in her ear, sending chills throughout her body.

She looked up at him. "Your welcome," she said, smiling.

The song ended, and Milo broke away from her, bowing slightly. Alaina watched him join the crowd, and then Jimney and Anaka stepped up, with Zaypha, Selina, and Nanda a few feet behind them. Their faces were shining with pride as Anaka held up a small box.

"This is our present to you," Anaka announced, handing Alaina the box. Alaina took it and gingerly opened it, not knowing what would be inside.

"We hope that this will show you that you are part of our family," Jimney said. "You have been here for so long, we thought it was time."

Alaina took the present out of the box, feeling even more nervous than before, and gasped with shock when she saw what it was.

It was a locket.

**Uh-oh, another locket? What will Alaina do now? Anyway, please R&R!!!**


	5. Chapter 5

-1Chapter 5

Woo-hoo! Chapter 5! This chapter was actually fun to write, believe it or not. As we all know by now, I do not own Zelda, and no user in this God forsaken website, for that matter, owns them either. You know which characters are mine and which aren't. Enjoy!  
PS. I'm aware that I posted this a day after Chapter 4, but this was done, and I was too eager to wait a few days, so I posted this anyway! lol

The Murkotos breathlessly waited as Alaina blankly studied the locket. It was a gold color, just like her other one. When she opened it, there was a painting of her and the girls, where all four of them were grinning. Alaina briefly remembered thinking that the painting was supposed to be for a picture above the fireplace.

Apparently not.

The other painting was of Jimney and Anaka. The result: a nice, happy little family. Alaina's eyes shone fiercely as she considered this. Her family may be dead, but they were still in her heart, and as much as she loved the Murkotos, she wasn't going to give in that easily. Painful as it was, she couldn't forget her old life. But she couldn't hurt their feelings. She smiled and turned to Jimney and Anaka. "I love it," she said quietly. "Thank you." She embraced them and then Zaypha, Selina, and Nanda joined in. The village was quiet, and when Jimney waved his hand, the musicians started playing again, and the party became alive once more.

Alaina sat in a bench and carefully placed the locket back in the box. Then she turned to find Anaka. "Um, Anaka?" she said softly. "Is it okay if I put this back in my room? So I don't break it or anything?"

Anaka smiled warmly. "Of course," she said. She turned toward the party. "We're going to end this soon, anyway, so if you want to go for a walk or go right to bed or something, you can."

"Thanks," Alaina replied. "For this whole day. Can you also tell that to the whole village?"

"Of course." Anaka watched Alaina leave with a sad sparkle in her eyes. Jimney walked up to her. "Is she okay?"

Anaka looked up at him. "Oh yes, of course," she sighed, turning back to the rapidly shrinking figure.

"What's the matter?" Jimney questioned, placing his hands on his wife's shoulders.

Anaka sighed again. "It's a little obvious that the locket must've upset her. I know that she still misses her parents dearly, but she just won't show it. I thought the locket would help…" Her voice trailed off.

Jimney rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. "She'll be okay," he murmured. "She needs to be alone right now. Just let her be."

Anaka turned back to him, worry etched in her eyes. "I don't know, Jimney. Something tells me that she's going to be leaving here soon." Her voice trembled. "She's going home."

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"_SISTERS!"_

At the sound of the command, there were two flashes of light, one green and one blue, and two Goddesses appeared, joining one that was already there. The one that spoke had dark red hair and blazing red eyes. She was wearing a plain red dress with gold jewelry. Another had blue hair, dark blue eyes, and was wearing a light blue dress with diamond jewelry. The last one had green hair, green eyes, and was wearing a light green dress with pearls.

"_Is it time, Din?" _the Goddess in the blue asked.

_"Yes, Nayru," _the Goddess of Power told the Goddess of Wisdom. _"She had officially turned eighteen, and has finally reached the age to accept her destiny."_

_"The girl is still young, and is still in pain about the whole situation,": _the Goddess of Courage, Farore, reminded them. _"We might have to tell her gently."_

_"As the daughter of the original holders of the Triforce of Courage and Wisdom, she will be able to handle this well," _Din reassured her. _"She will also need to know what to expect when she journeys back to Hyrule."_

_"Is the blade of evil's bane safely protected?" _Nayru asked.

_"Yes, everything is taken care of. The good Sage of Shadow had entrusted it to me long ago, and I had it hidden in a new location ever since," _Farore said. _"The Temple of Time was no longer safe."_

From the heavens, the three Goddesses studied the world below them, spotting Alaina walking into the woods, carrying a lantern. "_Shall we proceed?" _Din asked.

The other two Goddesses nodded with agreement, and they all disappeared in different colored flashes of light.

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Upon returning home, Alaina placed the locket on the dresser in her room, and grabbed a lantern from the shed, filling it with oil and lighting it. The flames cast an orange glow on the trees as she started walking in the woods. She could already see the bright water of the spring right ahead. The spring was a mysterious thing during the night; it was like it was illuminated by a bright light. It was so beautiful.

When she reached the spring, Alaina snuffed out the lantern, it's light no longer needed. She placed it toward the side and walked to the edge of the ground, sitting down once she reached her destination. The water lightly brushed against her bare feet as she took out something from under her dress. It was her old locket.

For the first time in five years, she placed it around her neck, reveling in the light feel of it. Somehow, it seemed to bring her back home, where everything was all right and there were no indications of danger. She closed her eyes, enjoying the moment, but when she opened them once more, she was back in the spring, where the looming of danger and fear was imminent, at least back in Hyrule.

"I turned eighteen today," she whispered to herself, staring up at the full moon directly above her head. "I'm not a little child anymore. I wish you could've seen me grow up." She twirled the locket between her fingers and looked down at it. "I'm sorry I haven't worn this in a long time. It was too sad, you know? It reminded me too much of you two."

She looked around at her surroundings; the graceful trees, the cheerful flowers, and the twinkling stars overhead. "I tried being strong ever since I came here. Impa told me to. I figured that coming here to talk wasn't strong enough, but I don't care anymore." She promptly started crying, breaking down for the first time in years. "I miss you Mom and Dad. So much. I miss Aiden, Joes, Lila, Impa, Malon, Lionel…" She took a ragged breath. "I want to go back to Hyrule. I want to get back at that fucking bastard for what he did. I promise. But I don't know what to do! I need your help. I need guidance."

The only answer she got was silence. Alaina sat there crying her heart out, for her parents, her friends, and her kingdom. Knowing that there was nothing she could do, she stood up to leave. At that moment, there was a bright flash, blinding the girl. She stepped backward, her eyes turning an even lighter blue from the light. The light dimmed, and in front of her very eyes, were the three Goddesses themselves. Alaina uttered a low cry at the realization.

"You're the-" she began.

"_The three Goddesses, yes_," Din finished, smiling at the sight of the young adult gaping before her.

"But why-"

"_It's time, Alaina_," Farore said softly. Alaina twitched slightly; she hadn't been called Alaina in a long time.

"Time for what?" she sputtered.

"_To return to Hyrule and regain what's rightfully yours_," Din answered. "_You are going to be the one to defeat the Dark Lord, doing whatever it takes_."

Alaina was numb from shock, and the Goddesses understood. They watched patiently as she sank to the ground, trembling as she stared out into space. It took a few minutes before Alaina was able to speak again. "But…but…My mom and dad…died trying to defeat Ganondorf," she said, obvious that it took a great deal to say those words. "How did that happen if they were able to defeat him before?"

"_Do you remember when Ganondorf told you how he was able to escape the Sacred Realm_?" Nayru asked.

Alaina thought about this, clearly trying to remember.

_"How dumb can you two possibly get? If it's impossible, how did I get out?" Ganondorf roared. "It took practice, patience, training, and most of all, power!" Lightning flashed above him as he spoke. "All of this has made me even more powerful that I'm unstoppable…" _

The Goddesses watched as Alaina finally nodded. "He said that it took practice, patience, training, and power," she recited. "It made him more powerful. But I don't understand. Ever since the first time he tried to take over Hyrule, my parents have become more powerful too!"

"_But Ganondorf forgot to mention that it required more strength in the mind_," Nayru said.

"More strength in the mind?" Alaina repeated. "My mother had the Triforce of Wisdom, so she easily could've-"

"_It's not enough. She would've had to face her fears and overcome them to have more strength in her mind_-" Din said.

"But my dad had the Triforce of Courage. He has no fears!" Alaina interrupted.

_"But he didn't have enough wisdom that was required," _Farore replied quietly. "_Neither of them did." _

"Then what did Ganondorf do?" Alaina wondered.

"_There are two temples in the Sacred Realm. We Goddesses had created the Temple of Light, which is located in the Light World of the Sacred Realm. The other temple, I'm sad to say, was discovered __**after **__Ganondorf had entered it_," Din explained. _"This is the Temple of Malum, which is located in the Dark World of the Sacred Realm. Ganondorf entered that temple to confront his fears, and once he conquered them, that's when he took over."_

_"His fears were never being able to rule Hyrule for eternity and being locked in the Sacred Realm for eternity. That was the final key he needed to get out," _Nayru continued.

"What is the purpose of the Temple of Light?" Alaina asked.

_"The Temple of Light seems peaceful at first, but you learn later on why it's dangerous, especially if you have any lost hopes or dreams. Some people want to escape to those dreams, and forget the mission they were ever on. Ganondorf had no lost dreams, because his lost dream of obtaining the Triforce was steadily coming true," _Farore answered.

_"By the time we realized all this, it was too late to alert your parents, and we had left everything to the Sages," _Din added.

"But they arrived too late," Alaina muttered. "My parents could be alive now."

_"Do not blame them," _Din told her soothingly. _"We're saddened to say that this is our fault, because we had told them too late as well. Basically," _she sighed, _"this whole thing was our fault, and we deeply apologize." _Din bowed her head, and Nayru and Farore did the same.

"Do you think…there is some way that I can see my parents again?" Alaina asked hopefully.

"_You would think that they could come back as spirits, for Zelda was the Sage of Time and Link was the legendary Hero of Time, but it cannot happen. Their souls have never fully rested in peace," _Nayru said.

"But if I defeated Ganondorf, they can come back as spirits!" Alaina said.

_"We don't know that, Alaina. They are not fully sages," _Farore replied.

"Fully sages? How is that?" Alaina asked with confusion.

"_The sages of Hyrule have a job, which is to guard their assigned temples when needed. Your mother is, in simple terms, a half-sage, while your father wasn't a sage at all," _Farore said.

"But Impa, my caretaker, is a sage. She's not…I mean, is she…?" Alaina stuttered.

"_All of those sages are, in fact, spirits," _Din answered. _"All of them had been leaders of their tribes in their mortal forms, so it made sense to go to their neighboring temples when there was trouble, which, as you know, was when Ganondorf first took over. They were killed trying to destroy the beasts guarding the temple, and thusly, they had been reawakened as sages. Yes, Impa did seem like she was one of you, but she is a spirit. Have you noticed how she never gotten harmed by anything?" _Alaina nodded. "_Only dark magic can completely kill the sages, and then they disappear from the world forever, and join any other deceased person up in the heavens."_

Alaina nodded again, the information jumbling in her mind. It was amazing to her how she could first learn more about Ganondorf and go right into a lesson about the sages, but she needed the answers she had hoped for.

"Why are you really here though?" she asked, her eyes full of question.

"_I believe that this is Nayru's job," _Din said, she and Farore backing away as Nayru stepped up.

"Wha-what's going on?" Alaina wondered as Nayru placed one palm on each side of her left hand. There was a sudden, searing pain, and Alaina bit her lip to keep from shouting out. After a few seconds, Nayru released her hand, which was glowing a brilliant golden color. Alaina watched with awe as the color faded, and the Triforce was engraving itself on her hand. The top triangle and the right triangle were now a dark gray color, but the left triangle was still glowing the gold color.

"It can't be!" she whispered with disbelief. "The Triforce of Wisdom?"

Nayru smiled. "_You are more like your mother than you know, so it made perfect sense that the Triforce of Wisdom had chosen you as its new holder," _she said.

Alaina smiled. "And I'm guessing that if I was like my father…"

_"The Triforce of Courage would've gone to you," _Farore finished, smiling as well.

_"And whichever Triforce piece went to you would affect the other holder," _Din said. _"Because you have the Wisdom piece, the other holder would need much courage in him or her to receive the Courage piece. And if you got the Courage piece, we would need to find someone with wisdom."_

"That makes sense," Alaina agreed.

The Goddesses grew serious. _"It is all up to you now, Alaina. We need you to find the new holder of the Triforce of Courage, who is located in Hyrule. We know who it is, for we have visited that person already, but it is the rule of the Triforce that we don't tell you. It is…the will of the Triforce, in a way. It's like it's part of the challenge. After you find the holder, you will need to find the new location of the Master Sword, and then go to the Temple of Time and enter the Sacred Realm, where you will need to go to the Temple of Light and the Temple of Malum. We would say to go straight to Ganondorf, but the Sages are drained of all of their necessary power, so they are no longer able to help you," _all three of them told Alaina in unison.

Alaina nodded in understanding, accepting the dangerous quest.

The Goddesses, knowing that their job was done, vanished in the three different colors of light. "_Good luck, Alaina," _they said as they were leaving. "_The fate of Hyrule is in your noble hands. We're counting on you."_

Alaina stood there in the now silent spring, staring at her left hand with newfound determination. She was ready. She will go back to Hyrule and find her new partner, and they would bring back peace to Hyrule together.

"I'm going to do this for everybody that Ganondorf has harmed," she promised to herself. "For all of them, this will be for hope, victory, and peace. For me? It's revenge."

**I don't know about you guys, but I thought that last sentence was pretty sweet. I was laughing a little bit when I was writing the conversation between the Goddesses and Alaina, because it reminded me of those incredibly long speeches some characters gave to Link during the games (ex. Great Deku Tree (OOT), Sheik (OOT), King of Hyrule (WW), and the Sages (TP)) so yeah you get my point. Sorry if this chapter seemed a little short, but it was necessary for it to be one chapter. Anyway, R&R!!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Alaina**

Aight Chapter 6! Hmm...all I can really say is that this is Alaina's last time in Catalia (maybe, I still haven't decided), and this chapter isn't really much, but I needed it. I don't own Zelda, I own my characters, blah blah blah. I forgot to mention this in Chapter 5 about the Temple of Malum. Malum means "dark" in Latin, so basically the translation is "Temple of Dark" but my translation is "Temple of Darkness." My friend Melissa helped me come up with the name. Thanks Melissa!!

Chapter 6

There was suddenly a crack of a branch, and Alaina whirled around, her fists raised in front of her in case they were needed. "Who's there?" she called out threateningly, her eyes flashing.

"Ali?" a familiar voice said. A figure emerged into the moonlight. It was Milo.

Alaina lowered her arms. "Goddesses, Milo, you scared the Cuccoos out of me!" she exclaimed. Then her voice took on a suspicious tone. "How long were you here?"

"I just came," Milo said. "Anaka said that you were probably out here to be alone, so I was coming here to make sure you were okay."

Alaina tried her hardest not to roll her eyes. Milo had just said it himself that he knew that she was out here _to be alone. _Unless they had changed the meaning of the phrase a few minutes ago, Milo really had no business being here.

"Milo," Alaina said, trying not to yell from exasperation. "When Anaka told you that I came here to be alone, that basically meant that no one should've came to look for me. That means you."

Milo opened his mouth to say something, but closed it. Ignoring Alaina's last remark, he walked over to her. "What was wrong?" he wondered.

"It was nothing," she brushed him off.

"I'm serious!" Milo insisted. "I can help. Just tell me."

"Milo, I'm serious too. Just go and leave me alone, please!" she almost begged in spite of herself.

Milo was being persistent. "Tell me!"

That was it. She totally lost it. "Milo!" she shouted. "Do you not get it?! I came here to be _**ALONE**_! A-L-O-N-E! Do you know the meaning of that word?!"

Milo walked backwards silently, looking down at the ground with hurt. Alaina just stared at him, exhausted from yelling so loud and her ice blue eyes even brighter from the reflection of the moonlit water below. When she calmed down, she finally realized what she did, and immediately regretted it.

"Sorry," she muttered. Milo didn't respond, but he didn't walk away either, so Alaina knew that he wasn't mad.

"I'm leaving here, you know," she continued, so quietly that she almost didn't hear herself. Milo looked up with shock, but he still didn't say anything. "In my home kingdom, we are guided by the three Goddesses. They came to me tonight. I have to go back."

"Why?" Milo sputtered.

"I have to defeat Ganondorf, the Dark Lord that usurped my kingdom…and murdered my parents. I need to get my kingdom back," Alaina told him.

"It'll be really dangerous, won't it?" he asked, point-blank. Alaina nodded.

"I'll be okay," she promised. "I'm going to defeat him. He can't win again."

Milo was well aware of where she was from and the whole background of the situation, so he completely understood how important and dire the situation was. Thankfully, he asked no more questions about all of that. He did ask, however, "What will you tell Jimney and Anaka?"

Alaina sighed. "They'll be able to take it. They'll have to. They probably had a feeling this time was coming up. I just don't know what I'll tell the girls. Zaypha could hear it without freaking out, but I don't know about Selina, and I would rather stab myself than tell the truth to Nanda."

Milo half-smiled. "Tell them you're going on a trip," he suggested. "At least tell that to Selina and Nanda. It'll work. They probably won't ask any questions." He grew serious again. "Do you know what you might see over there? I obviously wouldn't know personally, but it'll probably be pretty bad."

Alaina looked down at her toes. "I know," she whispered.

"Will you be okay?" he pressed on.

"I have to," Alaina answered determinedly. "For the sake of myself and my kingdom. I can't be scared or back away. I have to be brave throughout the whole thing."

Milo shook his head and lay his hand on her shoulder. "No," he said earnestly, his eyes somber and looking straight into Alaina's soul. "You don't have to be brave all the time. You can still be scared. I know that you will be one day."

"How do you know that?" Alaina asked him softly, her gaze burning into his.

"All knights are like that. Even I get scared. I'm scared to go to the Catalian Army. I don't know what to expect. I was scared when I was trying to get those flowers for you." This earned a laugh from the girl. "I'm also scared for you," he added, tucking a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear.

"Don't be," Alaina said. "I'll get out of this without a scratch." She suddenly thought about what she just said. "Okay, maybe I'll get a few bruises and a broken arm, but seriously, I'm not going to die or anything." She smiled at the future knight before her. This was the first time she had a conversation with him where he was actually…human.

"You know," Milo said. "If you ever need any help, I'll be there in a second. You never know if you'll need any experienced knights to fight anything that is too much for you."

Okay, maybe she thought he was human a little too soon.

"Will do," she agreed. She sighed. "I guess I should head back and tell Jimney and Anaka. She and Milo started walking back to the village, which was now quiet since the party had ended a while ago.

When they reached the Murkoto's house, Alaina started go to inside. "Wait!" Milo called out. Alaina turned to face him, one hand already on the door handle. "When are you leaving?" he asked.

"Tomorrow morning," was Alaina's quick reply, as if she had already decided this hours ago. "I should reach Hyrule a few hours after noon." Without saying good-bye, she opened the door and stepped inside, leaving Milo to stand there for a minute and then finally leave.

Alaina smiled as she heard the familiar noises of the parlor; Jimney and Anaka were on the couches talking while Zaypha was trying to calm Selina and Nanda down because they were being too noisy, insisting that "people living in the entire kingdom couldn't sleep because of them." When she entered the room, they became silent as she walked across the room and sat on another couch.

"Are you okay, Ali?" Zaypha asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah!" Alaina answered brightly. "I'm fine." She glanced down at her hands and did a double-take. She didn't notice how prominent the dark gray Triforce was, probably since Milo had never mentioned it. She casually covered the top of her left hand with her right before anyone had noticed. "What did I miss?"

"Well, the villagers wish you a happy birthday, and everything's cleaned up. Milo was looking for you again," Anaka said.

"Yeah, I was talking to him," Alaina said. There was a moment of silence again. Alaina decided it had to be now or never. "Um, Jimney? Anaka? Can I talk to you two?"

Jimney sensed the urgency in her voice. "Zaypha, can you take Selina and Nanda to your room?" he asked Zaypha.

"Zaypha can stay," Alaina murmured to him.

"Selina, you and Nanda should go to bed now," Jimney suggested. Selina and Nanda obeyed without any complaints or questions, plus, they were exhausted anyway.

"What's wrong?" Anaka asked quietly once Selina and Nanda were out of earshot. Alaina sighed. She wanted to get this over with.

"I have to leave Catalia," she said bluntly. Zaypha gasped and Jimney and Anaka just kept looking at Alaina. "I got a visit from the three Goddesses, the creators of Hyrule." The three of them nodded with understanding; they all studied Hyrulean history. "They told me that it was time for me to return and defeat Ganondorf."

"_The _Ganondorf?" Zaypha echoed.

"Yes, only he's more powerful than he was years ago," Alaina said to her. "That's why my parents died." She lifted up her left hand, and they gasped again. The Triforce of Wisdom was glowing faintly. "I'm the new holder of the Triforce of Wisdom, and I have to find the holder of the Triforce of Courage."

Anaka's eyes filled up with tears. "Ali," she began.

"I have to do this," Alaina interrupted, knowing fully well that Anaka would beg her not to do this. "I have to save my kingdom."

"Alaina, do you even know how to fight?" Jimney asked. Alaina couldn't help smiling; nobody in the village had ever seen her with weaponry.

"Trust me, I do," Alaina said, sharing a grin with Zaypha, who was handling this situation remarkably well.

"Ali, it'll be dangerous. Hyrule is probably a wasteland!" Anaka blurted out. "Where will you go? Enemies are probably wandering about, searching for you! You'll be killed!"

"Anaka!" Jimney said sharply, motioning to Zaypha, who had listened with fearful eyes.

"I know what I'm doing!" Alaina insisted. "And I won't be killed! I have more wisdom now, and I can hold my own when it comes with enemies. Anaka, trust me. It's my duty!"

The room was silent again, and Anaka burst out sobbing, running over to Alaina and wrapping her in a tight embrace, almost cutting off Alaina's supply of air. Zaypha started crying silently and joined the hug. Jimney was last. "You'll be fine. I know it," he whispered in her ear.

After an eternity, they all pulled away. "I guess I better break this to the girls," Anaka sighed, wiping her eyes.

"NO!" Alaina almost shouted. "They wouldn't understand, and they'll freak out. I know it. I talked to Milo about this, and he said that I should tell them that I'm going on a trip or something."

Jimney nodded with agreement. "You better tell them now."

Alaina walked over to a door and opened it. Selina and Nanda were in the room, lying on their beds. "Ali!" they cried out weakly, almost asleep.

Alaina sauntered over sat on the edge of Nanda's bed. "I have something to tell you," she said. "Do you promise that you will be brave about it?"

Selina immediately sat up, her eyes wide. "What happened?!" she cried.

"No, no, nothing bad happened," Alaina reassured her. "But you might not like what I'm going to say."

Nanda sat up as well, staring intently at Alaina with her big eyes.

Alaina heaved a big sigh. "I'm going on a trip, and I won't be around for awhile," she told them, grabbing onto Nanda's hand.

"Where are you going?" Selina wanted to know.

"I have to go outside of Catalia. It's business," Alaina half-lied. "The trip will take a long time, and I won't be able to visit. I'm leaving tomorrow morning." Selina climbed onto Nanda's bed and sat on the other side of Alaina.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"I swear, everything's fine. It's just something I have to do," Alaina said. The two girls looked at her with sadness in their eyes, and Alaina's heart went out to them.

"But we'll miss you," Selina said pitifully.

"Listen," Alaina said, her voice breaking. "I know you'll miss me at first, but after a while, you'll get used to it, and before you know it, I'll be back. Trust me."

"But Ali, will you come back here forever?" Nanda questioned.

_Oh shit._

"Not forever, Nanda. I have to tell you the truth. I probably might be leaving this village later on and moving somewhere else. But that doesn't mean I won't stop by. Both of you, and Zaypha, are like sisters to me, so I couldn't bear to leave all three of you." She put her arms around them and held them close. "Tell you what, put your beds together, and I'll ask Zaypha to move hers. We'll all sleep here tonight."

The girls instantly grinned. "Okay!" they chorused, and immediately became hard at work trying to put their beds together.

Alaina watched them for a few seconds, and then turned to get Zaypha. But there was no need. She was waiting patiently by the door, her arms crossed and her long hair cascading over her shoulders. "They took it well?" she asked.

"I hope so," Alaina replied, turning back to them. "There weren't any tears, so that looks like a good sign."

"I hate to burst your bubble, Ali, but just wait until you leave. Then they'll be flooding the house," Zaypha laughed. "Add that to all of the village children-"

"Oh no, the other children!" Alaina gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. "I forgot all about them."

"Leave that to me," Zaypha sighed. She peered over Alaina's shoulder with interest. "I'm guessing you want me to move my bed?"

"If you want," Alaina said. Although Zaypha appeared to be too old for something like this, she eagerly started moving toward the fray. Alaina shook her head good-naturedly at the girl, who had grown so much over the past five years.

About ten minutes later, all four of them were piled on the beds, fast asleep. Alaina was in the middle. Nanda was on one side, sucking her thumb, while Selina was on the other. Zaypha was at their feet, lying across and snoring lightly. Jimney and Anaka watched this adorable scene with tears in their eyes, and quietly closed the door.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was early in the morning, around 8:00. The sun was beginning to light up the entire village, and a light mist was still hovering above the grass. Alaina was at the edge of the woods, facing the entrance to Catalia Field, which took up part of the western side of Catalia. The path to Hyrule was reachable at the western end of the field. Alaina remembered riding through the field five years earlier, but it was dark, and she was too frightened to notice her surroundings.

She had woken up earlier, before the other villagers were awake, and silently packed her belongings. She slipped out of the house and retrieved her horse before the Murkotos woke up. She wanted to leave as quietly as possible, even without saying a proper good-bye to her surrogate family.

"I guess we should go now, Reya," Alaina said sullenly, patting her faithful mare. She took out a roll of bandages and wrapped them around her left hand, hiding the Triforce from view. After a moment of thinking, she took out her sword and reached for her blonde locks. Reya snorted behind her.

"Relax," she said, feeling silly for talking to a horse. Without thinking twice, she slashed off much of her hair, the remainders only reaching to her shoulders. She fixed a few of the sloppy ends, and for the finishing touch, she murmured a few words, and was surrounded by a whirl of light. In her place was a boyish-looking fellow, her hair covered by bandages with some strands covering some of her face. More bandages covered her nose and mouth, but extra magic made her able to breathe and talk clearly. She was dressed in a blue bodysuit, while ripped cloth covered her torso, containing symbols of the Sheikah tribe. This was the same disguise her mother had used twenty years earlier, using the name of Sheik. Satisfied, she climbed on her horse and was about to ride out when-

"Ali?"

She whirled around, facing a figure running up the path. "Milo?"

Milo ran up to her and Reya and looked up at her. "You're leaving," he mentioned quietly. Alaina nodded. "What's your disguise?"

Alaina looked down at herself. "My mother used this disguise the first time Hyrule was taken over. She had to help my father but couldn't show herself or she would be captured. I know the same thing will happen to me so I'm doing this as well."

Milo paused for a moment. "Well, I guess…I should let you go," he mumbled. "I just wanted to…say good-bye before you left."

Beneath her bandages, Alaina smiled. "It's not good-bye, Milo. It's 'see you later.' We both know that I'll need your help at some point, and when I do, I'll let you know."

"And when I do help you, I won't let you down," Milo said seriously. "Ali, you're going to beat that son of a bitch. It'll be like shooting an arrow for you."

"Thanks, Milo," she said softly.

They stood there for a few moments, not knowing what to say next. Then Milo spoke. "Well, see you later then," he said quickly.

"See you later," Alaina agreed. She lightly slapped Reya's flank and they began trotting out of the woods. "Oh, and Milo!" Alaina called as she was leaving.

"Yeah?" Milo shouted back.

"Do me a big favor. Help Zaypha practice her archery, and teach her some sword fighting while you're at it, okay?"

Milo smiled. "Okay!" he yelled. He watched Alaina enter the massive field, and finally left only when she was out of sight.

**Obviously, Alaina will reach Hyrule next chapter. And as you can see, Milo will remain an important character later on in the story, and maybe some other Catalian will too? Who could it be? That's your guess. R&R!**


	7. Chapter 7

Alaina

Woo-hoo, after a little more than a month of writer's block, I finally finished Chapter 7. The problem was Alaina fighting with the monsters. I had no idea what to do. So this chapter might be crappy and a little too short at the same time. Sorry!

Chapter 7

The first feeling Alaina felt when she entered Hyrule Field was shock. Then anger. Then sadness.

She had entered Hyrule through the same route she had been in five years ago. Everything looked unchanged from behind the mountains, so she had hoped that Hyrule was at least decent-looking. Goddesses, was she wrong.

Hyrule Field was no longer the lush, green field that was always brightened by the sunshine. For one thing, there was no sunshine, and the clouds replacing it were a dark gray, threatening to spill a flood of rain any minute. The field itself looked like it had suffered a massive fire, for it was a brownish/blackish color from dirt and ash. The trees and flowers were all gone, and the little streams and ponds that trickled by were drained. Hyrule Field was now a barren wasteland.

With wide eyes, Alaina rode Reya by the Zora's River. It was still flowing, but the water looked dirty and purplish. _It's probably poisoned, _she thought, shaking her head. She glanced up at the mountains. The light ring of smoke that surrounded the peak was now a ring of fire, which meant danger. Alaina shuddered at the thought. She looked out towards the forest. From where she was, it looked unchanged, but she knew that she would see much more damage at a closer angle. She couldn't see the lake or the desert from here, but the lake was probably affected, and the desert was already a torturous place; Ganondorf couldn't do anymore harm to it. Also, she realized, Lon Lon Ranch was no longer standing in the middle of the field.

Alaina took a shaky breath as she reached under her bodysuit and pulled out her locket. Seeing her parents' smiling faces gave her more determination to keep going. Even so, however, she still had no idea where to start. She thought about where her father had started when he emerged from his seven-year sleep. She wished she had someone like her mother to guide her to wherever she needed to go…

Of course! She had the Triforce of Wisdom. She always kept forgetting. She could search her mind and maybe it would tell her what to do. She focused solely on her thoughts, trying to see if there was anything she remembered that some sort of hint that had to do with her journey.

_"Alaina," Joes began. "Miles will take you to a village where his friend lives. You'll be living with his family."_

_"How long?" Alaina asked flatly._

_Joes sighed. "I don't know," he finally answered._

_Alaina bowed her head down. Then she looked back up. "Where is this village?"_

_"In the kingdom far east of Hyrule, which is Catalia. The path there is behind the mountains. Aiden, I'm going back to the field. I need you to go to Kokiri Forest. You can get there by also traveling behind the mountains."_

_"All right," Aiden agreed softly._

Alaina returned back to reality, a smile creeping on her face. With any luck, Aiden, or at least somebody that she knew, would be in the forest. That's where she would start. Ironically, she remembered, that's where her father had started as well.

"Let's go to the forest, Reya," Alaina whispered to the mare. Reya reared and took off. Alaina took out her sword, holding on to the reins with one of her hands. If Hyrule looked really awful, then the chances of enemies prowling around were very good.

Surprisingly though, there was nothing, at least for now. The field was very quiet and still. Although it was around summertime, the air was very cold. Alaina kept her eye out, knowing from her old training that enemies could sneak up at anytime.

As if to answer her question, she heard the sound of a horn. With a gasp, she halted Reya and looked around wildly to see where the sound was coming from. She thought about using Nayru's Love to protect herself, but the last thing she needed was to give herself away. Ganondorf's minions may be dumb, but Ganondorf himself is not, and as far as she knew, he was somehow watching Hyrule like a hawk, looking for any threats. He did have the Triforce of Power after all.

There was the sound of something relating to a motor, and Alaina looked up to see numerous Peehats flying from the direction of the castle. Moblins, Lizalfos, and Bokoblins were hanging on to them for dear life, letting out monstrous cries.

"Damn!" she cursed, whipping out her sword. "Ready, Reya?" The faithful horse whinnied and pawed the ground. "All right, let's go!" Reya immediately broke into a gallop and they raced toward the monsters. By this time, the Peehats had dropped the other monsters and flew away back to the castle. The Moblins were wearing armor and carrying clubs, while the Lizalfos and Bokoblins settled for two swords each. Alaina grimaced. This was going to be harder than she thought.

The monsters charged at Alaina and Reya, their eyes having an evil gleam and their mouths frothing as they panted. Alaina rode up to the nearest Lizalfos and let go of Reya's reins, grasping her sword with two hands. She swung the sword, and the head of the Lizalfos was neatly chopped off. It fell to the ground, dead.

Alaina knew that the rest of the battle wouldn't be that easy. There was at least a dozen of each breed, and now the Bokoblins were beginning to shoot arrows. Alaina quickly pulled out her shield and deflected the shots. She slapped Reya's flank and the mare galloped faster, moving away from the army. Then she turned around and started charging at them, trading her shield for the Hookshot. She shot at the Moblins with it while she swung at the others with her sword. With the Triforce of Wisdom, she could sense when danger was near; for example, when somebody was going to strike. There were times when a Bokoblin tried to shoot arrows without being noticed, but Alaina deflected them at the last minute.

Most of the Moblins were down. Satisfied, Alaina quickly put away the Hookshot and began using her Sheikah abilities to her advantage. She closed her right hand into a fist. Needles began to form at her fingertips. With perfect timing, she shot them at some of the enemies, not exactly killing them, but hitting them in the right place to knock them unconscious. She quickly threw her sword to her right hand and used her left hand to release a chain, wrapping it around an enemy and quickly strangling it. _There's no harm in using the Sheikah powers, _Alaina thought to herself as she kept fighting. _As long as I'm not using any magic that will connect me to anything suspicious, I'm fine._

There was suddenly a distant noise, and the enemies stopped fighting, turning to Alaina and grinning at her. With a sickening feeling, Alaina realized that it was the same horn that blew only minutes before. She quickly found the source; it was a Lizalfos on top of a large cliff, far enough that you really had to look to find it, but close enough to shoot at it without missing. Alaina shot an arrow and it dropped dead, but she knew that it was too late.

Peehats from all around started flying in, carrying dozens of Lizalfos, Bokoblins, Moblins, and even more kinds of enemies. They all dropped around her and raised their weapons menacingly, grinning more evilly by the second. She was trapped.

_I'm really going to regret this, _Alaina said to herself inwardly. _But I have no choice. _She raised her arms above her head, and although the Triforce didn't show through her bandages, the golden light was very noticeable. There was a rumbling sound. "DIN'S FIRE!" she shouted, and all was silent. The enemies looked at each other, confused.

**BOOM!**

A jet of flame shot out from Alaina's hands and surrounded her and Reya, protecting them as a shield. Then it shot out all around, piercing the enemies and instantly burning them to death. There was a giant commotion as this was going on, while Alaina had her eyes closed from concentration.

In about ten seconds, all was silent.

"**Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh**."

Far away to the north of Hyrule, a deep and thundering laugh shook the land that was noticed for several miles. The sound came from the site where Hyrule Castle used to be. In its place was a fiery lava pit, with a bigger, darker, more sinister looking castle on a cliff above, separated from all other parts of land.

Various monsters around the site looked up toward the tower of the castle. At the highest floor of the tower was the throne room. In the throne room, with a sickish grin on his evil, twisted face, was Ganondorf Dragmire, the source of the maniacal laughter.

He was basically unchanged from the beginning of his takeover five years previously. He traded his customary armor for black and red regal-looking robes. His hair was a bit longer and he carried himself with more dignity and power, for he knew that he had finally won.

Across the room from his throne, the giant, ornate door opened and a man in similar robes appeared, his cloaked head bowed. Ganondorf nodded slightly at the man.

"Rise, Agahnim," he commanded.

The man called Agahnim did as he was told, and looked at Ganondorf with a glint in his eye. "My Lord, we have heard you from all over the castle. May I ask, did something…good happen?"

Ganondorf laughed again, the room rumbling slightly. "My comrade, you have helped me with the takeover of this Goddesses forsaken kingdom, and if you didn't assist in helping me escape the Sacred Realm, I would not be here. Many good things have happened since then, so this time is no different."

"Do tell, my Lord," Agahnim said.

"She's here," Ganondorf said simply.

Agahnim opened his eyes slightly. "You mean-"

"Yes, the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom. Former Princess Alaina of Hyrule," he announced, saying the last sentence in a more babyish tone. He stood up and began pacing back and forth through the large room, while Agahnim simply watched. "I sensed her magic, but I could not locate her, for the Triforce of Power. IS NOT! CAPABLE! OF THAT!" In his anger, he shot a fireball from his hand, and if Agahnim hadn't ducked, it would've burned his head off. He casually looked back at the scorched wall behind him as if he dodged fireballs for a living, and then turned back to Ganondorf, who was trying to calm down by taking deep breaths. "Anyway," Ganondorf continued, returning to his regal tone. "I won't really need to find her, because I already know that she'll be coming here to try to defeat me. To get revenge on her parents' death. HA!"

"But my Lord, surely the Goddesses told her what to do," Agahnim pointed out. "I'm sure she knows that she has to find the holder of the Triforce of Courage travel to the Sacred Realm first."

"I am aware of that," Ganondorf snapped. "But she doesn't realize how powerful I've become, and how dangerous her journey through the Sacred Realm could be." He let out another laugh. "And it will not be wise if the two holders arrive together, for I will easily snatch their Triforce pieces from them, and I will finally become INVINCIBLE!"

Lightning cracked in the sky as the two evil men began laughing once more.

Alaina finally opened her eyes when everything went quiet and inspected the damage. All of the enemies were burned to ashes, which was hard to tell since the ground was originally ash anyway. Alaina winced as she realized now what most of it could've been from. A few minutes passed, and nothing else came. Alaina cautiously turned back to her mare, and they began resuming their original journey to Kokiri Forest.

As they approached closer, Alaina kept her eye out, for there were more boulders up ahead and enemies could easily hide behind them. In fact, Alaina spotted something running behind one. She was certain it hadn't spotted her, however, so she quietly led Reya to a corner where they were protected from various canyons. "Stay here, and don't make a sound," Alaina told the mare. "Guard my possessions, and if there's anything suspicious, run away." She quickly pulled out a harp seemingly from out of nowhere. "I'll play the song if I need you." Reya pushed her nose into Alaina's hands and Alaina patted her gently. She took her sword and began darting around with amazing agility, no doubt from her Sheikah abilities.

She crept along the rocks, keeping her eye out for the stranger. She approached another boulder and began to peer behind it, and suddenly hands reached out from behind and grabbed her arms.

"ARGH!" Alaina shouted, punching the stranger's gut and immediately turning to face it. It was wearing the same armor and helmet as a Moblin, but it wasn't a Moblin. It looked more like a Hylian, or more likely a Gerudo. It pulled out two swords, identical to the ones the Lizalfos had, while Alaina whipped out her sword.

"A spy from Ganondorf?" it questioned, it's deep voice full of darkness and hatred. It got into battle stance as Alaina watched, confused.

"What are you talking about?" she questioned, her voice changed to a male's thanks to the disguise. "You're wearing the armor of a Moblin's. You're obviously one of Ganondorf's minions. Aren't you?"

It didn't answer, and before Alaina could say or ask anything else, it lunged at her and she quickly blocked it with her sword. This was not an enemy to be taken lightly like the monsters, this one was a very experienced swordfighter, and easily had an advantage with the two swords. But wisdom surged through Alaina's blood, powering her and helping her know when to deflect attacks. They were both moving so fast they were a blur. Alaina was impressed with the soldier's skills.

Alaina tried doing a parry attack and began rolling behind it, but the enemy knew it was coming, and slashed at her face. Alaina gasped, waiting for the pain to come from her right side of her face, the place where the sword supposedly hit. But it only sliced the bandages, and before she knew it, they slid right off. The red eyes turned to ice blue, and her short blond hair billowed in the approaching wind. Rain began pelting down. Alaina was afraid Ganondorf was coming, but when she realized she still had at least the body of a Sheikah, she wasn't worried, and knew that she was still safe for the moment; that this was just some storm approaching. She raised her sword, ready to fight off the soldier and ready for the attack that was sure to come, but it never came.

Alaina, obviously perplexed, sheathed her sword when she saw that the soldier was just standing there and staring at her. Then, it removed its helmet. She looked at the face of a Hylian male. His hair was extremely dark, but she supposed that it was battle grease. There were markings all over his face, although she didn't know if it was scars or paint. But then she noticed the eyes. A pair of bright, blue-green eyes. The face might show bitterness, or in this case, shock, but the eyes showed kindness. She knew those eyes…

Alaina finally realized who he was and she started to cry.

**Oh yeah, I totally feel stupid, because in Chapters 4-6, Alaina was in the land of Catalia, which was the land in the comics, I think. But then I realized it was spelled wrong, and it's really Calatia. Hahaha. Anyway, R&R.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Alaina**

Yep, Chapter 8. Umm, I have nothing interesting to say right now. So yeah, enjoy, and, as we all know, I don't own Zelda.

Chapter 8

Aiden was temporarily unable to say anything or do anything except watch the sobbing girl in front of him, for his body wouldn't move a muscle. But he didn't need to move; before he knew it, Alaina had fiercely wrapped her arms around him, still crying. Aiden was still in shock as he slowly wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair, murmuring that everything would be okay. The rain was falling in great sheets and lightning pierced the sky several times a minute, and they could faintly hear the whinnies of Reya, still protected by the canyons. After what seemed like an eternity, Alaina finally pulled away, giggling and slightly crying at the same time as she did so.

"What?" Aiden asked, a teasing smile creeping upon his face.

Alaina stared at Aiden with a piercing gaze, taking it all in. "You look so different," she observed with a sigh as she kept studying him. He did look pretty different physically. Under the suit of armor, Alaina could tell that Aiden had become more muscular, and his skills in sword fighting had _definitely _improved. Since she had a closer look at his face, she could tell that the markings on his face were scars. There were few and they weren't big, but they were there. The battle grease in his hair was dripping off from the rain, and Alaina fondly noticed the familiar, brown hair with the gold streaks revealing itself. Aiden was also very different emotionally and mentally too. He seemed more angry and hurt, which showed especially in his face, obviously caused from what had happened over the years. One thing that really scared Alaina was his voice. It was so full of bitterness and pain that it sent chills down her spine. She had never known Aiden could've been capable of causing such fear, and she hoped that she would never have to witness that again.

"You look a lot different," Aiden mused. "You look more like Zelda now," he added with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"I've noticed," Alaina replied. She looked up toward the sky, finally seeming to notice the storm. "Um, maybe we should go…?"

"Yeah," Aiden agreed. He sheathed his swords and they walked over to the canyons where Reya was patiently waiting. She seemed to remember Aiden as he approached her, and proved it by digging her head into his stomach (which, in this case, is hard to do because of the armor), something that she had done years ago. Aiden kindly patted the mare's head and jumped onto the saddle. Alaina hopped on in front of him. "Where to?" she asked him.

"The forest," he answered.

Alaina smiled to herself. She was right about someone being in the forest after all.

As they rode for the next few hours to the forest, the storm ended and it was starting to grow a little darker, although rain was still falling. They were right at the entrance to the forest now, and Alaina did not see any changes, at least not yet.

"Alaina," Aiden began quietly as they jumped off Reya and began walking the rest of the way with the mare behind them. "I think you should know…the forest isn't exactly…well, the same."

"I figured," Alaina quickly replied, grasping on Reya's reins even tighter and gritting her teeth.

"I thought you would," Aiden said. He looked around. "It's sad to see what happened to Hyrule, isn't it?"

"I've only seen the field and I'm already going mental," Alaina muttered. "I still have the rest of the kingdom to see."

Aiden wisely stopped talking. There was silence the rest of the way until they reached the giant log that served as the entrance to the forest. Without realizing it, Alaina grasped Aiden's hand while holding on to Reya's reins with the other, and the three of them began walking into the log. Alaina squeezed her eyes shut as they began crossing the bridge and entered another log. Then they stopped.

"Kokiri Forest," Aiden mumbled. Alaina opened her eyes and gasped. Like Hyrule Field, the ground was ash. The trees were still standing, but they were dead and blackened. The huts were run-down and close to collapsing, and the stream running through was drained. There was no sign of life anywhere.

"Where are…?"

"Some Kokiri ran into the Lost Woods and we helped them find the Sacred Forest Meadow. The only power the Sages have left is to create a shield that can cover a certain area, so no dark forces can enter. In case somebody tries a disguise, we have our finest swords people taking turns guarding the entrance to the Lost Woods," Aiden explained. "Saria was able to make a shield that covered the meadow and the Lost Woods. Everybody stays at the Forest Temple."

"What happened to anybody that got captured?" Alaina asked, trembling.

"Many, many Kokiri got captured, and Ganondorf built a camp right here. Those camps are all over Hyrule. Many Kokiri either died instantly or slowly from the labor."

"But how come there's no-"

"We fought them off, and now they're too scared to come back, so we regained the forest, at least for now. The surviving Kokiri from the camps went with us back to the Sacred Forest Meadow."

"What happened to the Great Dek-"

"Poisoned," Aiden said simply.

Alaina looked at her surroundings with hurt eyes as Aiden continued. "The thing is, the Kokiri Forest invasion was the least worst of the lot." Alaina whirled her head to look at him.

"Is that where you got your scars?" she asked timidly.

Aiden smiled bitterly. "Yes," he said. "It was a tough battle. Luckily we were able to recruit some Hylians to travel to the forest before it had gotten too dangerous. There's a handful of us now." He pointed to a long scar on his cheek. "A Lizalfos stabbed this right through," he said.

Alaina felt tears rise up again, and lightly brushed the scar with her fingers. Aiden watched with his eyes as she done so. "I can't believe this," she murmured.

Aiden grabbed her hand and removed it from his face. "We should discuss this at the temple," he suggested rather sharply. Alaina nodded, and they walked up toward the entrance of the Lost Woods. A ramp was there to bring them up to a cliff.

"For the horses," Aiden said, and Alaina smiled. They walked up and started to go through another log when a sword emerged from the shadows, preventing them from entering. On instinct, Alaina whipped out her sword, getting ready in case it was needed. But Aiden shook his head and she placed it back in the sheath.

"Who's there?" a sharp, feminine voice snapped.

"It's me," Aiden said, taking a medallion out from under his suit of armor. Alaina vaguely remembered that medallion; it was a family heirloom that Joes had passed down to Aiden. The other hand of the figure reached out and grabbed it, slightly lowering her sword and stepping out a little bit to make sure that it was indeed Aiden. Once she knew that it was him, she fully emerged from the shadows, and Alaina gasped.

It was Lila.

How much she had changed! The once sweet, innocent ten-year-old farm girl had transformed into a bitter fifteen-year-old warrior. Her long hair was tied in a tight braid, and was also darkened with battle grease. She donned a forest green tunic, splattered with mud to camouflage it, tan leggings, gauntlets, and boots, and Alaina also spotted a quiver full of arrows on her back. And her eyes! Her brown eyes, once shining with happiness, were now full of bitterness, hurt, and even fear. What happened to her?

"Who is that?" she asked Aiden, raising her sword again.

"Lila-"

"Is it a spy from Ganondorf?" she continued, a little more hysterically, bringing the sword dangerously close to Alaina's throat.

"Just look," Aiden said, sounding a little exasperated.

Lila shot an angry glare at him as she lowered the sword once more, and Alaina barely contained her laughter. The last time she had seen Aiden and Lila together, he was a teenager and she was just a little girl, and he had some sort of older-brotherly protectiveness with her. Now, they were talking to each other like equals, and the change was stunning. Lila finally turned to Alaina and slowly looked at her from head to toe. Alaina carefully studied her face, looking for any sign of recognition or surprise. But there was none. Lila looked back at Alaina's face for a little bit longer, and then her face fell.

"It's Alaina," she said quietly to Aiden. He nodded.

Lila was visibly shaken as she dropped the sword and walked closer to Alaina. There was a moment's pause, and Lila timidly put her arms around the other girl. Alaina was bewildered; she expected tears, shouts, and more ruckus, not silence. After a few seconds, Lila stepped back. For a split second, Alaina could've sworn she saw the old Lila in her eyes. Just for a second. But then they changed back.

"Lila?" Alaina said, but Lila turned away.

"You should take her to the meadow," she said quietly. "I'll keep guard."

"All right," Aiden relented. "But come back soon. It'll be getting dark soon.

Lila only nodded at them, and stepped to the side as Alaina and Aiden entered the log into the Lost Woods.

Alaina had only been to the Lost Woods once in her lifetime. Usually when she and her father used to visit Saria, they warped to the meadow, where she sometimes was, and the other times she was in the village. The only time Alaina ventured into the Lost Woods was because she was little and curious, and ended up getting lost. A kind Skull Kid comforted her and helped her get back to the village to a very worried Link. She never went back in there since then, until now. It looked exactly the same as it did before, thanks to Saria's shield.

"Hey Alaina," Aiden said suddenly. "You have the Ocarina, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Alaina wondered.

"Isn't there a song that could warp us straight to the meadow?" he asked.

Alaina fished out the Ocarina of Time and tried remembering the tune that her father had played. After a few tries, she finally got it right, and played the Minuet of Forest. "Hold on," she warned Alaina as a blue light appeared. Aiden grabbed her hand as they flew up in the air and disappeared.

They reemerged on a gray platform in the heart of the Sacred Forest Meadow, right where the entrance to the Forest Temple was. Aiden took out a hookshot and aimed it on a branch. He shot it, flying in the air to the branch and dropping on the platform. Alaina took out her hookshot and followed suit. As they began walking through the entranceway, Aiden pointed at it/

"Our last defense is a barrier that appears if it detects any dark forces, in case the one in the Lost Woods and the entrance to the meadow ceases to work. Saria's pretty worried, you know, although I'm sure we're safe," Aiden explained.

"Safe enough to get out of this annoying disguise?" Alaina questioned, referring to her Sheikah alter ego.

Aiden laughed. "We'll ask Saria about that," he said.

They walked into the front yard of the temple grounds. Alaina remembered stories from what her father told her, and was expecting two Wolfos to appear from the ground and attack them. However, she quickly reminded herself that the temple was peaceful now.

Aiden opened the door that led them inside. They walked through a short corridor and went through another door, which led them to the main room. It was a dimmer room, lit by four humongous torches in the middle of the room. One was green, one was blue, another was orange, and the last one was purple. They represented the Poe spirits, Alaina remembered. In the light of the torches, Alaina could make out a figure, seeming to be studying something. The sound of her and Aiden's footsteps echoed throughout the room, and the figure turned around.

"Aiden?" he called. "Who's that with you?"

Alaina's heart leapt. "Joes?" she cried happily.

Joes immediately jogged up to them and it only took a glance at Alaina for him to know that it was indeed her. "Alaina!" he exclaimed, and enveloped her in a giant bear hug. Aiden watched as his best friend reunited with one of the closest people to a family member that she had. They soon broke apart. Alaina took a few seconds to take a look at him. He looked the same; just a little older, but his face seemed more hollow and his hair was messier.

"Look at you!" Joes said, grinning. "You look so much like your mother, for a second I could've sworn it was her." He hugged her briefly again. "How were you doing in Catalia? Were you treated well?"

"Fine," Alaina answered. "And yes, I was taken care of very well. Jimney and Anaka were great." She looked around. "Who else is here?"

"Well, Saria is somewhere in the temple. She'll be overjoyed to learn that you've returned. The Kokiri are probably out in the forest yards, and I'll have to introduce you to the Hylians that have joined us. I'm sure you'll remember a few of them," Joes said.

Alaina suddenly noticed the papers he was holding in his hand. "What is that?" she asked, pointing to them.

Joes immediately sobered up as he looked down at them. He sighed. "You two might want to sit down." He turned to Aiden. "It's another letter from Emery."

"Emery Ermchec?" Alaina echoed. "Wasn't he one of the commanders of the Hyrulean Army?"

"Yes, he was. But now he's in Kakariko Village, disguised as one of Ganondorf's followers. He actually took control of most of the army and bewitched them, but a lot of us were able to flee, and then some volunteered to be spies, like Aiden. There's a camp in the village, you know, and Emery is one of the guards there. He's witnessed horrible things, and informs us on everything that's going on. Another spy brings the letters here and back." Joes sighed again and suddenly looked ten years older. "Emery and some others try to bring some prisoners to the Shadow Temple, but it's hard. The temple is on top of a cliff, and they need all sorts of equipment to get people up there, like ropes and ladders. It's risky to do it without getting caught, so there isn't much they can do. They've seen people die, and sometimes-" Joes's voice choked up. "Sometimes they had to kill people themselves. Of course, they didn't want to, but it would've given it away if they tried to stop it, and then it would give the rest of us away."

"We only do a little part to help Hyrule," Aiden continued. "Ganondorf is too powerful and my father knew that we had to wait for you, Alaina."

"Aiden, show her," Joes suddenly commanded.

Joes immediately obeyed and took off his gauntlets, and Alaina saw that his left hand was bandaged. He was unwrapping the bandages when Alaina spoke up.

"Aiden, you're not- I mean, are you-?"

Aiden answered by taking off the last few rolls and raising his hand toward her. Alaina could see the very clear marking of the Triforce. The bottom right was beginning to glow. The Triforce of Courage!

Alaina responded by unwrapping her bandages on her left hand, and revealed her own glowing Triforce. Joes watched with triumph as the Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of Courage began glowing brightly, blinding all three of them for a few seconds, and then it stopped.

"I knew it!" Joes declared to Alaina. "As soon as Aiden told me that he had the Triforce of Courage, I knew that you were receiving the Triforce of Wisdom. In fact, I've always known you would get one of the pieces someday."

Aiden and Alaina didn't say anything. They just rewrapped their bandages, still stuck in the fact that they had another bond other than being best friends.

"I'm surprised, though," Alaina finally spoke. "I mean, I understand that Aiden had gotten it, but when I think about it, you could've gotten it too, Joes."

Joes laughed. "Me? Oh no, sweetheart, not me. I've gotten old, and I'm just not the right one to be the holder. Aiden's young and strong, and he's become a much better fighter. Your father would've had to put a run on his money, I think."

"I agree," Alaina said with a little disdain, obviously remembering their previous encounter on Hyrule Field. Aiden caught her eye and they both began to laugh.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ganondorf watched as the lower left and right triangles of the Triforce began to turn a darker gray color, lasting for a few seconds. As soon as it appeared, they turned back into the light gray they originally were, blending in with the Triforce of Power once more.

Agahnim, who was sitting on a smaller throne next to Ganondorf, had also observed. "My Lord, what does this mean?"

Ganondorf's face began to turn an ugly patch of red as his brow furrowed. "It means, my friend, that the holders of the other two Triforce pieces have found each other." He faced his comrade. "We have less time than we thought. Go to the commanders and force them to train the army harder. I'll notify the guards of the camps to keep a close watch. I have a feeling that the girl and her partner will try to save the prisoners first."

"What will you do, My Lord?" Agahnim wondered.

"Why, keep a watch," Ganondorf retorted. "The girl probably knows that I'm searching for her at this moment. Damn it, if I had the Wisdom piece, I would've found her already. She's probably doing what her dratted mother before her had done: hiding, and waiting for the perfect moment to strike." As he stood up and began to leave the room, he muttered, "I will not allow myself to lose once again."

**Dun dun dun!!!!!!!! R&R**


	9. Chapter 9

**Alaina  
**  
Good grief, I haven't updated this in almost a year! I didn't think it was that long but sadly it was. I just had that infamous writer's block and I was busy with other things too. But anyway, here is the much delayed Chapter 9!!

Chapter 9

"Saria? Are you in here?" Aiden bellowed, his voice echoing throughout the large, circular room. Alaina looked around with interest, and when she saw identical paintings surrounding her, she realized that this was the boss room of the temple, where Link had battled Phantom Ganon two decades ago.

"Over here," a childish voice answered, the voice hoarse.

Aiden and Alaina walked over to the source. A green-haired girl was sitting in the middle of the room with a green orb floating in front of her. She was wearing a sleeveless green jumpsuit with a darker green shirt underneath. She glanced up at the sound of the footsteps, and when she saw Alaina, her eyes brightened up.

"Alaina," she greeted her happily, rising. It was a slightly comical sight, the taller and seemingly older Alaina hugging the much shorter girl who was physically no older then ten, but in any other way was much, much older. Alaina remembered Saria telling her actual age once, but she was too preoccupied to remember now. "It's been so long!"

"It has," Alaina seemed to realize once she actually thought about it. At a passing thought, five years didn't really seem like a long time, but upon remembering how young she looked and acted at thirteen, it really was a long time. She then took notice of Saria's weaker condition. As a spirit, she physically didn't change at all, but Alaina could still see the dark circles under her eyes, the paler skin, and her small body sagging from exhaustion. _The Triforce of Wisdom can probably make me see these things, _Alaina thought to herself. But she didn't need the Triforce to hear the tiredness in Saria's voice. She turned to the green orb. "What is that?"

"It's my magic that's protecting these woods," Saria explained. "Almost all of it is in there. I only have a little bit left in me in case of emergencies." She smiled at Alaina's worried face. "I know I sound awful, but I'm fine." Her voice lowered to a mumble. "Well, at least as fine as I can be under these circumstances." She started pacing around the room. "The Goddesses came to you I assume?"

"That's why I'm back," Alaina shrugged.

Saria stopped pacing and studied Alaina and Aiden, who were standing next to each other. "The two other holders of the Triforce. I always knew it would be you two," she murmured, slightly laughing at herself.

"Saria?" Alaina asked with panic. She had never seen her like this, and it was scary. She thought Lila's transformation was bad enough, but Saria was worse. It was if she had absolutely no hope in her, even with the promise of her and Aiden. She looked like she was out of her mind.

"Alaina, I'm pretty much at the end of my rope," Saria said, as if she was sensing her thoughts. "If I wasn't some damned Sage pretty much destined to live forever, I'd probably be dead right now." She forced herself to laugh. "You two, go. You don't need to listen to me mope around. There are more important things to discuss. Oh wait, and Alaina, come here." Alaina timidly walked over to Saria, and watched with shock as green waves came out of Saria's palms and into Alaina. She collapsed, exhausted.

"What did you do?!" Alaina cried, bending down to help her back up.

Saria looked at her with her eyes half-closed, her breathing coming in rapid gasps. "I just…gave some of my…magic…to you, so you can walk around…the protected property safely…without that disguise," she struggled to say.

"You didn't have to!" Alaina exclaimed, but nevertheless changing back into herself. "You said the rest of your magic was for emergencies. This barely qualifies as one!"

"It's okay," Saria reassured her. "It didn't take…that much at all. I just don't have the energy…to transfer…even a little…magic…easily anymore." She laid down on the hard ground. "I just need to rest." She weakly lifted her hand up and pointed her finger to the door. "You can go now."

Alaina and Aiden reluctantly obeyed, and as they went out through the door, Alaina looked back just to make sure Saria wouldn't disappear out of thin air or something like that. She was still on the ground, her chest rising steadily in a deep sleep.

--

"I can't believe all I have left to wear are stupid dresses," Alaina grumbled as she stepped out of a room, wearing one of Aiden's long-sleeved shirts, which came down to her knees and had a rope tied around her waist to make it fit better, and a pair of worn boots.

"At least you didn't have to practice for five years for your fighting to be better," Aiden remarked. "I still can't believe you can get that good without lifting a sword since you got to Catalia."

"Trust me, I was pretty much dead by the time you cut the bandages from my face," Alaina confessed. "It's not like I'm some superhero who could do anything during their first try."

Aiden laughed. "I feel a lot better then," he remarked.

The brighter mood was cut short when a solemn Joes entered the room. "Alaina, I contacted some men scattered throughout Hyrule, and they were able to get here or send someone else so we can have a meeting. Now since you're back, we want to discuss what we're going to do."

"Right now?" Alaina wondered.

Joes pointed to another door. "Yes, on the second floor," he answered.

Alaina nodded, her mood now taking on a more regal tone. "Lead the way, please," she commanded simply. Joes half-smiled at her seriousness of the responsibility that was suddenly hurled at her, and turned to walk. Alaina followed behind him, and Aiden brought up the rear.

They walked up the stairs, and when they reached the door of the room they would be in, Joes grasped the handle to open it, but Alaina hesitated, taking a small step backward. She jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her back, but calmed down when she remembered who it was.

"You okay?" Aiden whispered.

Alaina fingered the locket around her neck, and the nervousness that was building up inside her instantly disappeared. She turned her head to face Aiden. "I'm fine," she replied softly. She turned back to Joes, and he opened the door. They all started to step inside.

She was stunned when she saw about fifteen men seated around a circular table, but pleased to see that she recognized many of them. Some were knights that had served in the Hyrulean Army, a few were guards that stood post at the castle, and the last few were even politicians that visited the castle a few times over the years to discuss business with Link and Zelda. Joes stepped aside to sit down in an empty seat, and when she was in their sight, they all sprang up and bowed. She blushed slightly, knowing fully well she must've looked ridiculous in her less-than-royal outfit, and her chopped hair was tangled. But she refused to lose her nonchalant composure (all these years of watching Zelda deal with similar affairs paid off), and sat down in another empty seat next to Joes. Aiden stood behind her against a wall next to Lila, who Alaina just realized was there as well.

The men sat down while one still stood. "Princess," he addressed her warmly. "It's good to have you back."

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "But please, just call me Alaina. I'm not much of a princess right now."

"But to us here," the man argued, waving his hand around to represent them all, "and all of the others who are in places throughout this kingdom, you still are."

"All right," Alaina relented, and the man sat down. "Please, if you all don't mind, can somebody just tell me all of the important things that I've missed since the invasion?"

As if by a natural reflex, all the men simultaneously turned to Joes. He cleared his throat and turned to Alaina. "I didn't have the chance to tell you before. For each camp throughout Hyrule, the group of men have formed a rebellion. Like I told you before, Emery here," he pointed to a man to the right of him, who smiled at Alaina in recognition, "is in the village. The Village Rebellion. All of us who are in the forest are the Forest Rebellion. There are other camps in Death Mountain, Lake Hylia, Zora's River, and throughout Gerudo Valley. There are a few in two of those locations, actually…" At this sentence, another man spoke.

"There's one in the Gerudo Fortress, and another in the Desert Colossus," he said. "And one is in Dodongo's Cavern up in the mountains and one…in the crater."

"The crater?" Alaina gasped with disgust.

"Red tunics are given to each prisoner so they can withhold the heat, but it's still one of the worst you could be brought to," he answered.

Alaina covered her face with her hand and shook her head. "This is awful," she stated angrily. "Something has to be done _now_!"

"And it will, because you're here now," Joes reassured her. He turned to the men. "She and Aiden have the other two pieces of the Triforce."

This caused extreme pandemonium as all of the men bolted from their seats to see Alaina and Aiden's hands. When Alaina failed to be able to calm them, she whistled, so shrill the men stopped in their tracks.

"Gentlemen," she told them sharply. "Sit down, and Aiden and I will show you briefly." They quietly obeyed, and there wasn't as much as a murmur as they sat in their respective seats. Alaina stood up and Aiden came up next to her, and they quickly unwrapped their bandages and held up their palms. The men started to create another scene as they saw the dark gray Triforce on each hand, but when they rewrapped their hands, they fell silent once more.

"Aiden and I have our own mission in order to defeat Ganondorf," Alaina announced. "But before that, we will help to overthrow the camps and free the prisoners. Now since I know about these rebellions, I think I have a plan." She paused to see if they would let her continue, and they nodded urgently. "I think that we should have invasions all at once," she stated. "Because if we focused on one and then went to another, the other camps will obviously hear about it before we get to them, and they'd have time to prepare. I could probably send a signal in Hyrule Field up into the sky so we could all see it, and then we could start the invasions." She looked around at each man. "What do you think?"

"With careful planning, I think it could work," Emery spoke up. "But Your Highness, there isn't enough of us to pull off something this big. It wouldn't work out."

"I know," Alaina agreed with a smile. "Which is where Catalia comes in. As you all probably know, I had to flee there for my safety. I stayed in the village of Nighta, where I befriended a man my age named Milo, who is planning to go to the capital to become a Catalian knight. However, before I left, he promised that if I needed him at all, he would come here in an instant. I'm going to take advantage of that offer. I want to send somebody back to Catalia to retrieve him, and then even go to the capital to see if any of their soldiers are interested in helping us. I know for sure that the Catalians are selfless people, and I'm also sure that we can get many of them to help us."

"Also," Joes spoke up. "I have friends in Hilia, which, by the way, we all remember signed a treaty with us so that they are now our allies. I had told them that we would contact them when the time was right, and they said that their king would be more than willing to send over soldiers and supplies when we were ready."

"That's perfect then!" Alaina beamed, unable to control her joy. "I'm not saying that this plan has a 100 guarantee, but I am saying that we have a shot at this. A big shot." She turned to Joes. "Do you think you could travel to Hilia to get recruits?"

"Of course," Joes answered.

Alaina looked across from her at Miles, the knight that brought her to Catalia. "Can you go to Catalia?" she asked him.

"Definitely," he responded, giving her a proud smile.

She stood up, and they all did the same. "Perfect," she declared. "We will all meet here again once Joes and Miles come back." Then her voice changed to a softer, more subdued tone. "Please, all of you, be careful. I pray that you all make it back safely, and especially that no harm will come to you, and hopefully anybody else, at the camps. You are dismissed."

The men bowed their heads as they exited past her, and soon the room was empty except for Joes, Aiden, Lila, and Alaina. But Lila left abruptly a few seconds later.

"I'm going to bed," she said shortly, starting to leave without waiting for a response.

"Okay, well, don't let the bedbugs bite!" Aiden called out to her, smirking to himself.

Without warning, a small rock sailed into the room and pelted Aiden on the side of his head. "OW!" he yelled, glaring at the open doorway.

Joes turned to Alaina. "That went great," he praised, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I'm so proud of you. You handled all of this well."

Alaina smiled at him. "It's what Mom and Dad would've wanted," she said with emotion. "To take things one step at a time…"

"…And keep fighting until the end," Joes finished, grinning. "Which is what we'll do." He glanced at Aiden, who was rubbing his head, muttering swear words, and looked back at Alaina. "I should be heading off now. Hilia's a pretty good distance away." He sighed with relief. "At least it's south of Hyrule so I only need to go through the rest of the forest. Make sure you're careful, honey."

"I will," she agreed. "Good luck."

He suddenly hugged her. "It's great to have you back," he said. "Make sure my son doesn't do anything stupid, whether it's teasing Lila or somehow attracting Ganondorf." He shuddered at the thought. "Well, anyway, good bye sweetheart." He walked to Aiden. "See you later, son."

"Good luck Dad," Aiden replied. Joes gave him a pat on the back and walked off. Then Aiden turned to Alaina. "You were amazing," he told her sincerely.

"Thanks, Aiden," she said.

"But Alaina, this will work right? I mean, you and I have a mission too, you know. We can't be too distracted," he continued with dead seriousness in his voice.

"I know," Alaina sighed. "That's why it better work."

**Sorry if it was a little short. R&R!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Alaina**

I am very very very very sorry about this incredibly long wait. I'm even more sorry if this chapter is also shorter than the others. I just figured the ending of it was good where it was. But as soon as I upload this, I'll be working on Chapter 11.  
And from the past chapters about how Ganondorf could sense Alaina's magic but could not see her, I figured out some good explanations about the Triforce's powers.  
The Triforce of Power grants the user unlimited power, and it is very hard to kill said person, explaining why Ganondorf is never dead.  
The Triforce of Courage is somewhat the same, except less power, but still hard to kill, which may suggest why Link has ten thousand little hearts. =P. It also grants the user the ability to master any weapon he finds in mere seconds.  
The Triforce of Wisdom can read minds and is the best at detecting people, which is why Ganondorf wishes he had it. Alaina's disguise can block her from being detected since she is not truely Alaina, which is whom Ganondorf is looking for. The Triforce of Wisdom can break through those disguises, to simply put.  
All three Triforces can detect magic regardless, so Ganondorf was able to sense it and realize that Alaina was somewhere in Hyrule.

Chapter 10

"Well that meeting went well!" Aiden commented as he and Alaina made their way into what Aiden made his living quarters. He tried his best to make it as comfortable as possible. It had been tidied up, and candles were placed all over to give it a comforting glow. A large rug created by the Kokiris ("a gift for saving them," he explained) covered most of the floor and a large map of Hyrule took up a portion of one of the walls, with markings indicating the different camps and red lines showing underground routes to take if needed.

"Yeah," Alaina said thoughtfully. "Hopefully Miles and your father have a safe journey."

"Miles will be fine," Aiden reassured her, well aware that Miles had the more dangerous traveling of the two. He pointed to the map. "Here's a secret route he'll be taking. No one should catch him. And since southern Hyrule is mostly made up of the Lost Woods, nobody will be going in there anytime soon. Dad probably asked Saria the way so he wouldn't get lost."

"How far is Hilia anyway?" Alaina wondered.

"Honestly, not that far," Aiden answered. "The reason why it seems like they're so far is because they had never traveled through the Lost Woods when they used to come here for meetings and such. They'd have to make giant loops and enter through Lake Hylia."

"Huh. I never knew that," she said. "Then again why would I wonder such petty stuff like that when I was little."

Aiden chuckled. "Well at least this journey will be quicker. They're sure to help us out now!"

Alaina stopped dead in her tracks. "Wait. How come Hilia never helped us out before!" she questioned, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.

Aiden looked nervous as her sudden change of attitude. "Well, because-"

"They became our _allies_! The least they could do is help try to set the prisoners free!" she continued shrilly.

"But-"

"Maybe most of my kingdom wouldn't be destroyed right now!" she snapped, the Triforce under her bandages warningly glowing.

"Alaina-"

"Maybe more people would still be alive!" Something seemed to be forming in her hand.

"What the hell-?"

BAM!

"Goddamn it!" Alaina continued to lash out. Aiden glanced back at the giant hole in the wall that her blast of fire made. On the other side of the wall where the courtyard was, a group of Kokiris looked at them, looking terrified. Mido was glaring at them, his hair singed.

Aiden grabbed her by the shoulders and looked at her. "Think about this, Alaina. Ganondorf is a bloody wizard, and he has the Triforce of Power. You and I didn't inherit our pieces until now! We had no proper motivation to get Hilia to help us at the time! We didn't _want _their help yet! Whose to say that if we tried to free all the prisoners before, Ganondorf wouldn't just strike back, and even worse than before. Nobody would be able to stop him! It would've just been a huge waste of time! And it wouldn't look too good if we didn't have some sort of ruler with us if we did end up asking them for help beforehand!"

Alaina just stared daggers at him, waiting him to continue.

"We knew you would be coming back! We were certain that you would have the Triforce of Wisdom! We had no choice but to wait, so then when we do strike, Ganondorf would have something to fear! All of this would give us a huge advantage, making it the perfect moment to ask Hilia to help us. We had to make sure everything would go according to plan!"

"Alaina," he said more softly. "If we asked Hilia to assist us before, they would lose a lot more lives. Ganondorf would probably go after them too. There would be no stopping him. We wouldn't want to do that." He paused. "How come you had never asked Calatia to help Hyrule while you were there?"

Alaina looked down. "It wasn't the right time…" she said quietly. There was silence after that.

Aiden attempted to lighten the mood, now that she seemed calm. "Are you sure you have the Wisdom piece?" he joked. "I thought you would've known that. Maybe it's from your dad-"

He quickly realized that was a bad mistake before was blasted backwards through the hole that was made previously. The Kokiris scampered out of the way, hiding behind bushes, but were so amazed at what was taking place that they peered over them, eager to see what unfolded.

Aiden looked shocked as he sprung up from the ground, brushing dirt from his clothing. "What is WRONG with you?!" he yelled. "I was joking! I wasn't being mean about your parents!"

Alaina emerged from the shadows of the darker room, looking positively horrifying with balls of energy glowing on her hands. Even her ice blue eyes seemed to be glowing. "Just. Shut. UP!" she shrieked, shooting more beams at each word.

Being blessed with the Triforce of Courage, Aiden was also able to make magic, even though he wasn't trained in it yet. However, he was angry and scared (although he wouldn't admit it) enough to form energy of his own, and shot it at Alaina.

She looked stunned for a split second, but put her hands together and whipped them apart to create a barrier just in time to protect her from the beams he shot. Now even more angered that he would attack back, no matter what his intentions to do so were, she launched flames at him.

Not really knowing how he did it, Aiden caught him in his hand and formed them into a ball, chucking it back at her. "I'm sorry!" he shouted. "I really am! Please just calm down!"

"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!" she cried. "I DON'T EVEN HAVE MY PARENTS ANYMORE! YOU LOST NOTHING SINCE THE INVASION!"

Aiden's face turned to stone. _How dare she think that I wasn't affected by this at all_, he thought with fury. _She sure realized it before. _

"NO!" Aiden roared, unleashed a jet of energy that knocked the girl over. "While you were gone in peaceful Calatia, probably choosing to forget everything that happened and was happening, I was living through it! I saw the horror Ganondorf unleashed from day one! I watched Hyrule practically burn to the ground, and I saw people die!" He pointed to the Kokiris. "To see them slaving away in that hellhole Kokiri Forest had turned into, I wanted to run away from it all. You didn't have to go through any of it!"

"I didn't have a choice!" Alaina yelled.

"Holy crap, just shut up already!" Mido bellowed.

"STAY OUT OF THIS!" Alaina and Aiden roared back at him, shooting energy in the process. He let out a yelp and ran as far as he could away from them.

Aiden walked threateningly up to her, and pointed to his face and lifted up his sleeves to show her all of his wounds. "Would you want to go through all of this?" he asked her quietly.

Alaina didn't back down. "Yes," she spat. "This is my kingdom. If I had a choice, I would've been fighting alongside all of you and sacrificing my life to do the best I could under the circumstances. If I had a choice, I would be covered with the same wounds right now. I felt awful about having to hide. I didn't want to!" She was close to tears now. "I saw my parents die. Do you know what that does to you? It makes you want to fight! It makes you want revenge! How can say you wanted to run away?" She sank down to the ground. "I saw my parents die," she repeated weakly. "They're dead." She started to cry uncontrollably, finally letting out her emotions. Her feelings at the spring back in Calatia didn't even come close to how she was now.

It suddenly occurred to Aiden that Alaina was finally having a breakdown, and he then realized how incredibly selfish he was being. He knelt down and wrapped her in his arms. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he whispered repeatedly. Meanwhile, the Kokiris emerged from behind the bushes, and wisely left the courtyard to leave the two alone.

Except Mido. "Geez, about time," he complained.

Aiden quickly shot a jet of water at him, knocking Mido flat on his back and soaking him in the process. He stood up, sputtering and muttering obscenities, but he finally left.

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Alaina had ended up tiring herself out so much from the fighting and crying that she eventually fell asleep. Aiden carefully carried her through the hole back into his quarters and laid her on his sleeping mat, covering her with the blanket. He turned back to the gaping hole and scratched his head, sighing. Lila entered the room, looking very annoyed.

"What in Goddesses name happened?" she hissed. "I could hear shouting from the other side of this temple!" She noticed the hole. "Is that where one of those blasts came from?"

"Alaina and I had a fight," Aiden explained. "A huge one."

Lila raised her eyebrows. "Really, now?" she asked sarcastically.

"I'm pretty sure she had her big breakdown since Link and Zelda's deaths," he said.

Lila looked over at the sleeping girl, taking notice of her puffy eyes and tearstained face. "Five years is a long time to hold that in," she said shortly.

Something went off in Aiden's head. "You know, Lila. Ever since we found you three years ago, you never explained where you've been. Where's your mother and father?"

"No idea," Lila said dismissively.

"Where were you since the invasion began?" he wondered. Lila merely shrugged, but was clenching her fists in frustration.

"Come on Lila. You have to say something! You've been so guarded ever since you came back with us to the forest. What did you go through?" Aiden demanded to know.

This earned a hard slap from the teen, visibly surprising Aiden. "I told you," she growled. "I have no idea." She whipped around, her hair hitting him in the face, and walked out of the room.

**Although back in Chapter 5, Alaina was upset back at the Nighta spring before the Goddesses came, she never had a chance to fully unleash all of her anger and any other emotion. Unfortunately for Aiden, he ended up being the catalyst. Also, it is becoming obvious now that Lila went through something devastating of her own.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Alaina**

Some of this chapter is more-lighthearted, as this will pretty much be the only carefree time Alaina and Aiden will have until they have start preparing.

Chapter 11

The first thing Alaina thought about when she woke up was how long she had been sleeping. For all she knew, it could be either an hour or a day.

As she sat up and rubbed her eyes, she noticed how refreshed she was. She hadn't felt that way in years. She looked down and saw Aiden sleeping on the floor next to the sleep mat, without a pillow or blanket or anything. She frowned slightly, remembering what had happened.

She suddenly shivered when a light breeze blew in from the courtyard, and looked back down at poor Aiden, who was probably freezing. She gently lifted his head to place a pillow under it, and then covered him with the blanket. When she walked outside she was surprised to see Lila ferociously practicing her sword fighting with some kind of dummy.

"Pretty good," she commented after Lila completed a parry attack.

Lila sheathed her sword and gestured to the dummy. "We were able to create some makeshift swords…thing," she explained. "And then Saria used her magic to make it move. It helps a bit." She smirked at Alaina. "You look lovely."

Alaina looked at her reflection in the water and giggled at her appearance. Her hair was sticking up in all directions. "Why thank you," she said, relieved that Lila was in some sort of good mood. "Hey, do you know how long I was out for?"

"Awhile," Lila answered. "It's around 5 P.M now."

"I missed breakfast _and _lunch!" Alaina exclaimed in disbelief as her stomach grumbled loudly.

"Oh get over yourself," Lila reprimanded her teasingly as she tossed her a bag of Deku seeds. Alaina munched on them gratefully.

"Maybe later we can have a swordfight against each other," she suggested.

Lila nodded with agreement. "Thank Goddesses. I've been practicing with Aiden for so long and I need someone better," she joked. She pointed toward the sleeping form of Aiden through the hole in the wall. "Speaking of Aiden, he wouldn't sleep. He was up all night making sure you slept okay. He finally passed out this morning," she told Alaina quietly. She studied her carefully. "Are you feeling better?"

Alaina looked up at the blue sky. "Actually, I am. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders," she said honestly. "You heard us?"

"Yeah," Lila sighed. "That was some shouting match."

"I guess I really needed to let it out," Alaina said. "It really wasn't smart of me to hold it all in like that, now when I can really think about it. It just creates a bigger explosion."

"I guess," Lila said distractedly. "Um…I'm going to see what's cooking tonight. It probably won't be ready for another hour or two, so I'll come get you when it is."

"Okay," Alaina said, surprised at the sudden change of mood. She took a cautious step forward. "Lila…?"

But Lila had already turned around, jogging into the temple.

Concerned, Alaina went back to Aiden's room, heading towards the giant map and studying the camps spread around the kingdom and muttering to herself.

"I thought the Fire Temple was right in the crater as well," she wondered as she thought about the camp in the Death Mountain Crater. "They're probably guarding it so no one escapes in there." She shook her head sadly.

She then started to think about what the Sages had told her about how Ganondorf went into the Temple of Light and Temple of Malum to strengthen his power, therefore being able to escape the bonds of the Sacred Realm. She walked over to the large scroll about the Sacred Realm that Aiden had hung up.

"We can't start anything until Aiden and I go into the Sacred Realm," Alaina murmured to herself. She peeked over at him, who was now just beginning to stir. He stretched his arms and yawned, glancing intently at the now-empty sleep mat.

"Ahem," Alaina cleared her throat.

Aiden jerked his head to the sound, and looked content to see his friend awake. "Hey," he said simply.

"Hey," she replied. Before he could utter another word, she said, "Thanks."

Aiden didn't need to ask what she meant. He got up and walked over to her. "You scared me to death when you started screaming at me when we were talking about Hilia helping us. I wish I had the decency to realize what you might've been feeling."

Alaina started laughing. "I scared you to death? I thought you have the Courage piece!" she choked out between chuckles before calming down. "But it's okay. I'm sorry I took it out on you." She grinned mischievously. "We did have an epic fight though didn't we?"

"Definitely," Aiden agreed. "I'll really need you to teach me more spells though." He looked intently at Alaina's face. "You're feeling better though?"

Alaina couldn't help but blush a little bit. It was kind of weird having Aiden stare at her like that, yet strangely comforting. "Absolutely," she said. "I think now it'll be a lot easier to handle things."

"That's good, because we have a lot to take care of," Aiden sighed. He paused for a second as he studied the Sacred Realm scroll with her. "When the Goddesses came to you, did they mention the Temple of Light and Temple of Malum?"

"I was just thinking about that," Alaina responded. "That's why I was looking at this."

"I told my dad about it," Aiden continued. "He doesn't want us to leave until he and Miles return, I think just so you can meet the people they brought or whatever." His stomach suddenly growled, and he groaned. "When is dinner going to be ready?"

Alaina shrugged. "Lila said a few hours. Let me teach you some magic while we're waiting."

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A week had passed, and so far there were no telegrams of recent deaths in any of the camps, which brought some sort of cheer to the inhabitants of the Forest Temple. Alaina and Aiden were clearly getting bored, however, with lack of adventure. For Alaina, this was clearly taken from Link's personality. At least in Calatia she was able to roam the fields if she wished. As for Aiden, he was so used to roaming around Hyrule as a spy that being cooped in the temple was taking its toll.

"Can we just ride behind the mountains?" Alaina practically begged Saria when she went to the Sage to ask permission to leave the temple for a bit.

Saria rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Alaina, you and I both know that even with your disguises, it would be dangerous. Last time you were in Hyrule Field, you were attacked."

"I held them off though," Alaina heard herself whining.

"Yes, with Din's Fire, therefore probably letting Ganondorf know you're here somewhere," Saria argued. "I wouldn't be surprised if he has more minions patrolling the grounds right now." She put her hand on the older girl's shoulder, having to step on her tiptoes to do so. "If it makes you feel better, you and Aiden will have to go through the field to make sure Miles and whoever he recruits get back safely, which hopefully is sometime soon." She smiled as Alaina pouted. "You are so much like Link it's scary."

"I have an idea!" Aiden's voice bellowed through the large former-boss chamber as he entered. "Why don't we turn the maze into a racetrack. Our horses are getting restless too, you know."

"Can we?" Alaina asked.

"Go ahead!" Saria practically cried with relief. Alaina and Aiden practically whooped with joy as they ran out of the room. "Anything to get you two off my ass!"

The footsteps stopped. "HEY!" the two teens yelled in defense.

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They stood on the top of the staircase leading to the maze, therefore being able to survey the whole property.

"Hmmm," Aiden said, scratching his chin. "Well, there are some northwest winds that sometimes start to blow to the east, so if I chuck my sword at the perfect angle, say like 50 degrees, then-"

"Shut up!" Alaina whacked his shoulder, cracking up.

"Well, let's see, we have bombs, swords, magic, and when you turn into that nifty Sheikah disguise, you can fire those needles," Aiden said. He pulled out a device that was made out of lots of rope and metal.

"What is that?" Alaina wondered, staring at the contraption.

"This is called a Grappling Hook, my dear," Aiden explained. "Kind of like a hookshot, but you can swing on it like it's a vine." He spotted a sturdy branch from one of the large trees that practically overshadowed the entire maze. "Excellent." Taking out a bomb from the bag he was carrying, he quickly lit it and launched the grappling hook, easily hooking it around the branch. "Watch this!" he shouted as he swung over the maze, dropping a bomb in the process.

KABOOM!

"YAHOO!" Aiden exclaimed with glee as a corner of the maze was easily annihilated. "Come on Alaina!"

Alaina quickly put out any resulting flames with water and used her Hookshot to get atop the branch. She then tied a bomb to an arrow and fired it.

"Bombs away!" she announced, and another corner was promptly destroyed.

"C'mon, Alaina!" Aiden shouted as he came towards her. He swung back on to the branch and she wrapped her arms around him, and away they went.

"WOOOOOO!" Aiden yelled out as one by one, bombs were dropped and exploding all at once. Laughing, he and Alaina finally swung to the ground, admiring their work once they used their magic to spray water over the flames.

"Well, all we have to do is mark it up," Aiden commented.

"Leave that to me!" Alaina boasted, creating a gust of wind to blow the ashes away, and then burnt a smaller square in the ground to create a track. "And there you go!" She whistled, and immediately Reya came galloping with Aiden's horse Karl in close pursuit.

"Luckily this meadow is very big," Aiden said appreciatively as he mounted his horse. "I wouldn't have been surprised if Karl and Reya abandoned us if they were still cooped up like they were."

Alaina steered Reya next to Aiden and Karl, tying her short hair in a ponytail to show she was ready for a challenge. "Four laps," she instructed.

"Sounds good," he agreed, taking the reins. "On your mark, get set-"

"GO!" Alaina hollered as Reya took off with lightning speed.

"Not fair!" Aiden shouted as he followed her. "Let's get 'em, Karl!"

Aiden had an advantage as his horse was a little bit faster than Alaina's, so it wasn't too long before he caught up with her. Alaina looked a little disappointed to see he caught up so quickly, but simply slapped Reya's flank lightly and they were ahead again. Aiden followed suit and once more they were neck-and-neck.

"I think you forgot that Reya is Epona's filly," Alaina had to yell in order to be heard over the gallops of their horses and the blowing wind they were creating. "Which means she's faster!"

"Screw genetics!" Aiden dismissed the comment as he and Karl passed them. Alaina let out a wolfish growl and she and Reya moved up again, although it took a little longer.

Her short hair was unable to stay in the flimsy ponytail she tied and was now blowing freely. She saw Aiden's smug look as she turned to glance at him, and when he noticed that she caught up again, the look on his face was so hilarious she started laughing. He did a double-take when he looked at her again. _I'm just glad she's so happy right now, _he tried to tell himself. But when he couldn't help but look at her again, he thought, _She really is beautiful._

Sooner than later, the two were on their fourth lap, and Reya and Karl, clearly enjoying the exercise, showed no signs of giving up. All humor in the race was gone, and the two teens were obviously trying to best each other. They had rounded the last corner and were heading to the finish. Unfortunately Alaina didn't see Aiden's evil grin, or else she would've been prepared for the jet of water Aiden had shot at her, completely catching her off guard and distracting her enough for him to pull ahead and cross first.

"You cheater!" Alaina shouted at Aiden as he hopped off his horse and attempted to do a victory lap. She rolled her eyes and slowed Reya to a halt, and then jumped off and sprinted after the gloating boy, tackling him to the ground.

"Owww!" he complained as he landed on his stomach. He turned over to see his friend sitting over him, smiling calmly.

"Congratulations," she said sweetly, and proceeded to shake the water out of her hair, getting it on his face. He sprung up and picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, running as fast as he could around their makeshift arena.

"Put me down!" she laughed-yelled, pounding his back with her fists. Their laughter echoed throughout the meadow as he neared the huge log which led into the Lost Woods. Suddenly he stopped short and his laughter ceased, instantly placing Alaina down on her feet.

"What's wrong?" she asked, dread creeping into her as she instantly suspected the worst. She slowly turned around to face the log, fully expecting to see a Moblin, Ironknuckle, or worse, Ganondorf himself. Color returned to her face and she let out a huge grin when she was proven drastically wrong. "Joes!" she sighed with evident surprise, relief flooding her body.

"I hope we didn't interrupt anything important," Joes said, his eyebrow raised and his expression looking somewhere between amusement and exasperation. He held his left arm out and an older, regal looking man stepped forward. "Alaina, I'd like you to meet King Delphinos of Hilia. Your Highness, I am pleased to introduce you to Princess Alaina, who has just recently returned to Hyrule."

Alaina's smile dropped and her face assumed a more serious tone as she walked up to the king. "I am honored that you are here to help us," she said with sincere gratefulness.

The king's eyes were warm and friendly, seeming not at all concerned to witness the young adult princess acting somewhat childish just before. "I'm glad to see you are doing well despite the circumstances, princess," he answered, his eyes twinkling. "I'm afraid I am only here to discuss the plans with you and introduce you to my best knights, and then I must take my leave."

"That's fine," she said. She looked over his shoulder at the knights that she could spot through the shadows of the log, knowing many, many more would be behind. "You can all follow me. I'm sure Joes told you that we are seeking refuge in the Forest Temple."

"He did," Delphinos nodded. "I wish to speak to your Forest Sage and thank her for all she has done. Certainly it might be harder for her to deal with all of us."

"Not at all," a voice came from the other side of the area, and they all turned to see Saria gracefully descending the long stairway and making her away across the arena to greet them. "It doesn't take more magic to protect more people," she reassured the king with a smile. "I am Saria."

Although Delphinos was aware of the history of the Kokiri, thanks to royal protocol requiring him to learn about the history of Hilia's neighboring kingdoms, he was still a little taken aback to see what looked like a ten-year-old girl stand before him. He quickly regained his composure and smiled back at her. "Hello Saria. It is an honor to meet one of the Sages," he answered, bowing slightly.

As they all made their way to the temple, Saria gave them brief instructions on how to get up to the actual entrance and where they could all stay. It took a while for the Hilia army to get up considering there were a lot of them, but eventually they all made their way to the main room, where the four different-colored torches were still lighted. As the army were making their way throughout the rest of the temple, Saria motioned for Alaina, Aiden, and Joes to stay behind.

"I just got a message that Miles and the Calatians have reached Hyrule," Saria told them. "But there is bad news. The underground passage blocked. So Alaina and Aiden, I want you two to meet all of them behind the mountain and make sure they all make it back safely."

"Why is it blocked?" Joes wondered.

Saria shook her head with confusion. "I don't want to say it's been discovered, but I might have to accept it. I'm scared many enemies will be awaiting their arrival. The problem isn't the forest being attacked. My barriers are too powerful. No, the problem is getting there." She turned to Alaina and Aiden directly. "I want to teach you a spell that will warp you to the Hyrulean-Catalian border where they all are. It's called Farore's Wind."

Alaina's ears perked up, remembering the stories Link used to tell about how he figured out how to use Farore's Wind at the different water levels in the Water Temple.

"But you both need to _focus. _That's the most important thing. Alaina, at the time when your father used it, Farore's Wind was only thought to be brought to the entrance of a main location. However, I was able to experiment with it a bit and learned it could transport you wherever you wished, as long as your mind fully thought of it," Saria

explained. She looked at Aiden. "Aiden was my experiment, so he knows all of this already. Farore's Wind is a privilege to say in the least, only able to be used by holders of the Triforce and Sages."

"Is it any relation to Din's Fire?" Alaina wondered.

"Yes," Saria answered with a smile. "Din's Fire is used for attacks, Farore's Wind is used for transportation, and Nayru's Love is used for defense. These three spells are blessed by the Goddesses themselves. Now, Alaina, try warping to the outside of the temple."

Alaina nodded, and closed her eyes in concentration. "Farore's Wind!" she shouted, and a light green aura surrounded her before she disappeared. A small green ball remained.

Meanwhile, right outside the temple, she suddenly appeared in a flash of green light. "Whoa," she said with amazement.

Saria ran outside. "Excellent!" she praised her. "Back in the room, a small green ball remains. This is where you will be transported as soon as you shout Farore's Wind again. That will require no concentration at all."

Alaina shouted the spell again and instantly reappeared in the temple.

"Couldn't we just use it to transport everybody back?" she immediately questioned.

"You can't," Joes answered this time. "At least not now. Transporting everybody back would just take too long, considering you and Aiden, even with your powers combined, don't have enough energy to do it all at once. And if there happens to be enemies out there, I'm sure they will not hesitate to find a way to grab onto you without warning as you're going to transport people, therefore letting them in and breaking the barrier."

Alaina nodded with understanding. "Guess we better get our weapons then," she said solemnly to Aiden.

As they left, Joes turned to Saria. "What are the chances of Ganondorf showing up?" he asked her in a low voice.

"I know Ganondorf's strategy," she said. "It's sick when you think about it, really. He prefers big battles, where he could use all of his power and most brutal attacks, where, if he succeeds, he can torture and kill his enemy as painfully as possible. Especially now where he's almost invincible, I wouldn't be surprised if he thinks he doesn't need to waste his time on something like this. At the worst, he might send henchmen to do the job for him, or more likely just capture them and bring them to him."

"They might be able to handle his minions at least," his voice dropped to a whisper as Alaina and Aiden showed up. Alaina had turned into her Sheik disguise and had her shield and arrows strapped to her back, while her Hookshot hung on her side. Aiden was in his Moblin uniform, carrying bombs and arrows, as well as his two swords.

"Here, Alaina," Joes said, walking up to her and pulling a sword out of his sheath. "This is called the Magical Sword." He chuckled. "Well, Aiden nicknamed it when he was little, and it sort of stuck. It's almost as powerful as the Master Sword, so it should hold your own in case it's needed."

"Thank you," Alaina replied quietly as she put it away. She took Aiden's hand and they prepared to cast the spell.

"Good luck," Joes and Saria whispered as the two holders of the Triforce got surrounded by the green light and disappeared.

**Ah, the Magical Sword. I wanted to throw in an old-school Zelda reference somewhere in there. Also, I threw in a very teensy Twilight Princess one as well. If you find it, well, you don't win anything, except the satisfaction of discovery. =] Starting in Chapter 12, the story will mainly be in a darker tone as the adventure will fully begin!  
I also wanted to explain Hilia. When my sisters and I first ventured into Lake Hylia in OOT, we pronounced it as "Hill-e-uh" rather than "Hi-lay-uh" so when we figured out the correct pronunciation, I later remembered Hill-e-uh" and made it into Hilia. **


End file.
